If any of you haven't heard about it yet, resident evil mercenaries 3D will limit users to one game save, limiting users to one playthrough and the inability to trade the game in.
Capcom are a great game company, I love everything they usually produce, but one thing has to be said is that they are becoming a very greedy company....again.
First with the whole street fighter thing, bringing out super street fighter 4, then the arcade edition..What's next super street fighter 3D the new contenders champion edition 3D alpha beta omega flubber?
Originally I was excited for mercenaries 3D, fast paced gaming on the best extra mode of any game ever.Hell yeah. Then the problems started flowing in. First there was a problem with content, a major lack of characters (namely leon) and a horrible lack of maps. Since this is a full priced game I was hoping for a lot more than what is essentially the add on to resident evil 5 (Which I already have the gold edition of).
Secondly, Gameplay footage. Seeing the jerkiness and oddness of the animations, it looks terrible and it's not something easilly overlooked.
Last but not least, the fact that save files are not erasable.
The latter is the cherry on the top. After seeing the lackluster offering of mercenaries 3D my thoughts where to buy it used, something I do with games that I don't like too much. (I'm 17, a student and don't have that much money to spend on games, plus OoT came out two weeks ago.)
Mercenaries 3D is actually one game I thought would benefit from used sales. Why because it includes the demo for resident evil revelations, the upcoming title which I hope is nothing like this game.
So what about used sales, why are they good in my oppinion.
Firstly, from the creators point of view it is obviously not making them any money at all. They have tried everything, the whole buy idea of buying certain part of the games if you buy it used (I.e online modes),
Capcom have chose the complete wrong solution here as by eyes, I can see people not buying this brand new and then the brand new price being driven right down, which will lose profits for everyone. Capcom won't ell as many, and the few they do sell will be way cheaper, game retailers will lose money as they will end up selling the game for a lot less than they bought them in the first place. Obviously used sales won't be made to make up for it.
There are a lot of reasons used game sales help developers.
First, the obvious one, in most cases the game is part of a series. One that I can say for myself is uncharted, I bought the first game used since I didn't have high hopes for the game, I then ended up liking it and buying the second game new. Another example is metro 2033, I bought it last week off ebay and i'm loving it, so when the sequel last light comes out i will buy it at launch.
The second reason. Games when they come out are usually £30-£45, that's quite a lot of money for say something short like bioshock. A lot of people trade the game in straight after they complete it and get a decent fraction of the game's price back in credit or cash. So it's an incentive for people to buy things new, the developer get's paid for the new price and the person get's a bit of their money back to do the same thing all over again.
The third reason, Games go out of print. Think right now, if you were to go buy resident evil 4 on the gamecube right now, would it be easy to get it used? Hell no, if it was sealed it would cost about £60 and all of the money would go to the person they bought it off and not the developer, and since shops don't stock it anymore they won't get any money either.Think about how annoying it will be for people who want to play Mercenaries 3D in a few years time, finding a new copy will be impossible and used copies won't be playable. Even people's own copies won't be usable since they can't play the game through again.
I am probably not going to buy mercenaries 3D at full price for many reasons, I'll wait a week or two until I see this game in the bargain bin for about £5.
Thursday 30 June 2011
Sunday 19 June 2011
Zelda : Ocarina Of Time Pre-Emptive thoughts....
Zelda, Ah zelda, If it weren't for you I probably wouldn't be playing games today.
Ocarina of time as you may well know is probably the best game of all time. I know everyone today thinks that is a cliche, but I genuinely think that this deserves it claim. Every medium has it's own overrated thing, michael jackson in music, shawshank redemption in film, and a lot of people would put ocarina of time on that list.
But in all fairness, this is in no way overated, It deserves every amount of acclaim it has been given. Does it have flaws? Yes, But there what perfect the game. OoT is like the Dark Side of The Moon of gaming, it is purely amazing from start to finish.
First of all I was surprised in the first place that nintendo decided to put Grezzo at the helm of reviving this classic (well under the watchful eye of Miyamoto).
For me OoT summarizes how games should be made, and how they shouldn't. It is just a perfect collaboration of time and effort. The original had a lot of perfection and charm that I thought would be lost in this remake.
The reason I'm not reviewing this right now is because, although I have had the game since friday, I am only up to the fire temple and I just don't want to give this game a verdict yet.
But what about the influence of OoT? I first got OoT for christmas 1998 I was about 5 and I had never played the N64 before, the only other games I had ever played were alex the kidd and sonic the hedgehog on the mastersystem and megadrive respectively. Initially I wasn't bothered with the game, It started off slow and it took me an absolute age to find the sword and get enough rupees for the shield. It wasn't untill I finally beat gohma that I had worked out how amazing this game was, It actually turned me into what I am today, be that good or bad. Unfortunately the original has become rather dated to the younger generation and they can't experience the same magic that me and millions of others have experienced in the past.
Seriously though, what games do kids play these days (I'm talking real kids not the trash talking 12 year olds online). They all play these stupid mindless movie tie-ins, only occasionally have I seen a kid pick up a copy of mario galaxy or decided to play sonic colours.
I think nintendo, by remaking the game for the younger generation, have really saved the game industry. A lot of kids will purchase the 3DS just like they did the original DS. I can really see that OoT will be one of the major games that kids will pick up since it will most likely be a best seller and the box art also looks pretty cool. After probably playing and embracing the magic inside that tiny cartridge, they will be able to pick out similar games. Games meant for a more hardcore gamer, this is where it all begins folks. Soon we could see 'generic movie tie-in' and 'yet another minigame colab' being replaced with starfox and metroid.
This is a welcome change, and one that could see us getting more games like okami and zelda without a developers fears of poor sales.
Ok past that whole thing now, the info:
The 3D looks amazing, yes it will eat your battery, but if you are able to have a charger in while you play.....It's something else. Really, I think 3D is wasted everywhere, but just seeing the cutscene with the mastersword transition amazed the hell out of me. Playing bombchu bowling in 3D is a massive help and really helped out at some parts in the game.
The visuals. Wow....Just wow. I have never seen OoT look so amazing, I mean really. Everything is so improved over the original, it's amazing. I really am not a graphics whore, but seeing the game look so close to the concept art is really cool.
Gameplay: It's still the same gameplay but with a few twists.
1) Aiming can be done with the gyroscope and the slider, the gyro controls work really well. However found a massive problem with them, It's near impossible to play the game while on some journeys if there are bumps everywhere, it makes the gyro move. I haven't found a way to change this yet, but I hope there is one.
2) All the refference info is on the bottom screen, Believe me it helps, having a map at the bottom of the screen is extremely handy. However, map the items that require aiming to the physical buttons.
Last word: This game is amazing, even if it's a port it's the killer app and not just crap to fill int he lack of 3DS games. I would even go as far to say that the piece of plastic it comes on is the greatest piece of plastic ever (And I haven't even completed the game).
Ocarina of time as you may well know is probably the best game of all time. I know everyone today thinks that is a cliche, but I genuinely think that this deserves it claim. Every medium has it's own overrated thing, michael jackson in music, shawshank redemption in film, and a lot of people would put ocarina of time on that list.
But in all fairness, this is in no way overated, It deserves every amount of acclaim it has been given. Does it have flaws? Yes, But there what perfect the game. OoT is like the Dark Side of The Moon of gaming, it is purely amazing from start to finish.
First of all I was surprised in the first place that nintendo decided to put Grezzo at the helm of reviving this classic (well under the watchful eye of Miyamoto).
For me OoT summarizes how games should be made, and how they shouldn't. It is just a perfect collaboration of time and effort. The original had a lot of perfection and charm that I thought would be lost in this remake.
The reason I'm not reviewing this right now is because, although I have had the game since friday, I am only up to the fire temple and I just don't want to give this game a verdict yet.
But what about the influence of OoT? I first got OoT for christmas 1998 I was about 5 and I had never played the N64 before, the only other games I had ever played were alex the kidd and sonic the hedgehog on the mastersystem and megadrive respectively. Initially I wasn't bothered with the game, It started off slow and it took me an absolute age to find the sword and get enough rupees for the shield. It wasn't untill I finally beat gohma that I had worked out how amazing this game was, It actually turned me into what I am today, be that good or bad. Unfortunately the original has become rather dated to the younger generation and they can't experience the same magic that me and millions of others have experienced in the past.
Seriously though, what games do kids play these days (I'm talking real kids not the trash talking 12 year olds online). They all play these stupid mindless movie tie-ins, only occasionally have I seen a kid pick up a copy of mario galaxy or decided to play sonic colours.
I think nintendo, by remaking the game for the younger generation, have really saved the game industry. A lot of kids will purchase the 3DS just like they did the original DS. I can really see that OoT will be one of the major games that kids will pick up since it will most likely be a best seller and the box art also looks pretty cool. After probably playing and embracing the magic inside that tiny cartridge, they will be able to pick out similar games. Games meant for a more hardcore gamer, this is where it all begins folks. Soon we could see 'generic movie tie-in' and 'yet another minigame colab' being replaced with starfox and metroid.
This is a welcome change, and one that could see us getting more games like okami and zelda without a developers fears of poor sales.
Ok past that whole thing now, the info:
The 3D looks amazing, yes it will eat your battery, but if you are able to have a charger in while you play.....It's something else. Really, I think 3D is wasted everywhere, but just seeing the cutscene with the mastersword transition amazed the hell out of me. Playing bombchu bowling in 3D is a massive help and really helped out at some parts in the game.
The visuals. Wow....Just wow. I have never seen OoT look so amazing, I mean really. Everything is so improved over the original, it's amazing. I really am not a graphics whore, but seeing the game look so close to the concept art is really cool.
Gameplay: It's still the same gameplay but with a few twists.
1) Aiming can be done with the gyroscope and the slider, the gyro controls work really well. However found a massive problem with them, It's near impossible to play the game while on some journeys if there are bumps everywhere, it makes the gyro move. I haven't found a way to change this yet, but I hope there is one.
2) All the refference info is on the bottom screen, Believe me it helps, having a map at the bottom of the screen is extremely handy. However, map the items that require aiming to the physical buttons.
Last word: This game is amazing, even if it's a port it's the killer app and not just crap to fill int he lack of 3DS games. I would even go as far to say that the piece of plastic it comes on is the greatest piece of plastic ever (And I haven't even completed the game).
Monday 13 June 2011
Retro Review : Turok for Nintendo64
Turok
N64
FPS
Back in the begging of the N64's life I was about 6, I only had three games for the N64 : Zelda, Mario and TUROK!
Turok was a unique experience to me, I had never experienced a first person game before and I also had never played a game with guns in. However, there was always one thing that made me love this game, Dinosaurs.
Dinosaurs freak me out more than anything, they just scared me, even still I think jurassic park is scarier than the ring (Although anything was scarier than the ring).
Basically the aim of the game is to find the chronosceptre, which is a special device. You play as Tal set who is the current Turok, which is a dinosaur hunter. Turok, Unlike his 2006 counterpart, is an actual bad ass. He runs around and beats the crap out of anything that gets in his way, be it raptor, man or deer. Even when he dies he respawns and shouts 'I AM TUROK' that's pretty cool.
A great thing about the game was that it allowed you to use a crap ton of weapons, such as the bow, a knife and my favourite: the Pulse rifle (The real pulse rifle).
Even still now I enjoy running through the linear, yet somehow expansive world just gunning down whatever I want with a nuke or a missiile launcher. This is a major factor to what made the game fun, it isn't like today's FPS'; there is no health regeneration or zooming. No just you, a gun and a whole load of enemies.
The game starts quite abruptly, you just spawn at a spawn place and are basically told 'go forward', on the way a main objective is to find 'keys' to unlock a bunch of levels at the end of the first part. the first part ends after walking through the linear part of it, then it opens up into a further amount of missions through portals. This game really opens up and allows the player to really explore and kill dinosaurs. I even still remember the unlock all cheat RBNSMTH which I think stands for robin smith.
There are a lot of hidden areas in this game, right at the there is a small cave with a gun located in it, this is what I loved about turok looking back. Despite it's linearity, it can really be quite expansive whilst giving a medium feel that suits the game. Blue portals open up with small trials inside that involve traps and pitfalls, hard to get through in order to get the health bonus and extra ammo but even harder to find in the first place.
In terms of controls, it opts for the classic N64 FPS' style, I.e C buttons move, analogue stick looks around and R fires. This also reverses for left handed players. It's solid, but the controls now feel a little bit awkquard.
I love turok, that's obvious if you read this review. However, it isn't nostalgia speaking it's just the game. This isn't all to hard to find and doesn't sell for more than a few pounds on ebay. It's a great game that anybody who loves classic games, classic FPS' and just fun games should get....NOW!
This is definitely a buy.
I'm giving this 8/10
TUROK Review for XboX 360
Turok
Xbox 360/PS3
First Person Shooter
I love the original Turok games, with a passion. The games were so fun and were enjoyable titles for the N64 and I think the PC. So obviously I was excited hearing that a new Turok was going to be coming to the next gen consoles, especially after the underwhelming yawn that was Turok Evolution. This game should have been awesome, but instead we got this....
Ok, Ok on the box it doesn't look too bad, but if you were to play the game you would see.
In this version of turok, you play as Turok (Which wasn't even the name of the original protagonists) who is a marine for a future group of mercenaries. He is a 'bad ass' who once apart of an elite assassin team called wolf pack, but has disbanded from them to take wolf pack out on an alien planet somehow infested with dinosaurs.
Just before we start, this game has literally nothing to do with turok, except for the name and the dinosaurs. Nothing!
Gameplay: Gameplay is typical FPS fair. Controls are typical, right trigger shoots the gun, left trigger either zooms a bit or shoots a second gun if it's dual wielded. There are also a few things like evading by pressing A and a direction. Controls are fine, but at some parts of the game there was a bit of frustration where I had to use the dodge move and it didn't work.
In the game there are dinosuars and guards, in which surprisingly, the guards are the more dangerous. Both come in hoards and aren't too hard to dispatch. Dinosaurs however, are really not utilised well, I literally killed nearly every dinosaur by equiping the knife and just activating the quick time events.
Another thing that annoyed me was the randomness of the game, It just felt like a load of random maps joined by BS dialogue. Basically you are running through a jungle for the majority of the game, without giving away any spoilers, you end up in a cave. However after a constant romp for a few hours through a jungle without any special events except for a random assault on the base, you get a boss. A very random boss just appears in the game, it just felt stupid, for half the game we got loads of dinos but no bosses. However going to a cave, a very repetitive cave, we are assaulted by a very frustrating boss battle.
Graphics: Turok uses the unreal engine like most generic FPS', it looks decent still and looked pretty good during it's release. I can't really comment on the graphics.
However the aesthetics do get really repetitive as the jungle just decides to drag on, continuing the backdrop like a hannah barbara cartoon.Character designs look ok, but the facial expressions they give are really unbelievable and just detract from the game.
Dinosaurs are extremely boring, they are nearly always brown, and I think the only time I saw variation was with a few white velociraptors that appeared for about 6 seconds of the game.
In terms of being a turok game, this is shameful, actually it shouldn't even be called turok. This game from now on should be called Generok, because that's basically what it is GENERIC. It amounts to nothing, it doesn't even include any of the cool weapons that the original turoks were so cool for. Instead, we get SMG, Shotgun, Pistol and oh the obviously original pulse rifle....Woo. Turok does have the Bow and a Knife, which are staples of the orignals but then again brown was a staple to the last shit I took.
In all fairness, this game can be gotten very cheap, and in all fairness it is a cheap bit of fun....if your not a turok fan. I picked this game up for about £5 for the tin edition, I completed it in about 5-6 hours with little challenge.
I'd say it is a buy, however, it is only a buy if you find it really cheap and you have absolutely nothing else to do with your time.
I'm giving this game 6/10. So buy Generok at your own whim, it's ok and may offer a few hours of entertainment.
Sunday 12 June 2011
Wii-U My thoughts
So after the Wii-U was unveiled a few things went through my head.
1) WTF
2) Is this a controller or a console
3) What about games?
4) OMGWTF is that zelda.....Oh it's a tech demo
5) WOW
Not everyone loves the wii, that's for sure, with it's inferior graphics and really bad online capabilities. I do personally prefer it to my ps3 and 360, and I also think it has done some major good for the gaming industry.
So what about the Wii-U? It promises to please everyone, from casual players to hardcore gamers alike.
I was really sceptical hearing this, I had no clue how he was going to do it, but honestly I think they may actually have done the impossible. Firstly, with the wii they have built up a massive fan base with non-gamers, siminlar to back in the day when we would say 'wanna play nintendo?', older people are now saying 'wanna play some wii?'
So this new fan base will definitely bring in new people to buy what seems like gateway gaming, i.e starting off with wii sports or something then ending up playing zelda skyward sword to completion.
The other thing that excites me about this console is the power, Ok I'm not a graphics whore or anything but I can see this really benefiting the console by far.
Firstly, We will be getting all the first rate nintendo exclusives that we would never see anywhere else, that's awesome.
Secondly, developers won't be as scared to bring out hardcore games onto the console. Unfortunately the wii suffered this problem as developers didn't want to lose out on money.
Lastly, Developers can really make pieces of art on this console. On the wii there was hardly any room to make a truly stunning game in the same vein as final fantasy 13, which in turn cost the wii some really good games. It's the same with a painter, they wouldn't use inferior paints on the wrong canvas to make their finest work.
Next, The controller. The controller in my eyes actually looks like a really clever idea. Obviously the main attraction of this is the screen in the middle, which could be implemented fantastically. You only have to watch the ghost recon online trailer to see that.
Despite the terrible and cringy acting, we can easilly see an already amazing way to implement the device into more than a gimick.
I can see lots of games really using this well, especially RPG's and even sports games.
The controller itself looked very awquard at first (Awkward enough to make nintendo's stock drop), apparantly though it is a very comfortable controller and is surprisingly light. (If you haven't seen a picture of the controller, check out my previous post or google it)
The only problem I really have with this controller is where the analogue sticks are. Firstly, They aren't actually analogue sticks, they slider pads similar to those on the 3DS. Secondly, the sliders are above the face buttons as opposed to being below them, this could make things difficult when playing games in my oppinion.
So am I going to buy it when it comes out?
No, not at launch. Reason being that when I bought the 3DS on launch day I was very upset with the game selection and there was nothing really to tickle my fancy (Well not untill zelda comes out on friday).
I don't want to see this happen with nintendo's new love child. Also the thought of Ubisoft providing a 'killer' amount of launch titles sends cold chills down my spine. Sorry, but ubisoft have really annoyed me with the amount of crap they provided at launch for the wii and 3DS, I don't hate the company but I think they are shameless. (Lest not forget GT PRO for the wii and the terrible ports they released for the 3DS.
However, saying all this, I believe the wiiU will be an amazing console, if there are good games out at launch I will buy it. Apparently it's coming out in summer 2012, so that should be a good way to shift units.
Oh and by the way, SMASH BROS IS GOING TO COME OUT FOR THIS.......(Although production hasn't even started yet)
1) WTF
2) Is this a controller or a console
3) What about games?
4) OMGWTF is that zelda.....Oh it's a tech demo
5) WOW
Not everyone loves the wii, that's for sure, with it's inferior graphics and really bad online capabilities. I do personally prefer it to my ps3 and 360, and I also think it has done some major good for the gaming industry.
So what about the Wii-U? It promises to please everyone, from casual players to hardcore gamers alike.
I was really sceptical hearing this, I had no clue how he was going to do it, but honestly I think they may actually have done the impossible. Firstly, with the wii they have built up a massive fan base with non-gamers, siminlar to back in the day when we would say 'wanna play nintendo?', older people are now saying 'wanna play some wii?'
So this new fan base will definitely bring in new people to buy what seems like gateway gaming, i.e starting off with wii sports or something then ending up playing zelda skyward sword to completion.
The other thing that excites me about this console is the power, Ok I'm not a graphics whore or anything but I can see this really benefiting the console by far.
Firstly, We will be getting all the first rate nintendo exclusives that we would never see anywhere else, that's awesome.
Secondly, developers won't be as scared to bring out hardcore games onto the console. Unfortunately the wii suffered this problem as developers didn't want to lose out on money.
Lastly, Developers can really make pieces of art on this console. On the wii there was hardly any room to make a truly stunning game in the same vein as final fantasy 13, which in turn cost the wii some really good games. It's the same with a painter, they wouldn't use inferior paints on the wrong canvas to make their finest work.
Next, The controller. The controller in my eyes actually looks like a really clever idea. Obviously the main attraction of this is the screen in the middle, which could be implemented fantastically. You only have to watch the ghost recon online trailer to see that.
Despite the terrible and cringy acting, we can easilly see an already amazing way to implement the device into more than a gimick.
I can see lots of games really using this well, especially RPG's and even sports games.
The controller itself looked very awquard at first (Awkward enough to make nintendo's stock drop), apparantly though it is a very comfortable controller and is surprisingly light. (If you haven't seen a picture of the controller, check out my previous post or google it)
The only problem I really have with this controller is where the analogue sticks are. Firstly, They aren't actually analogue sticks, they slider pads similar to those on the 3DS. Secondly, the sliders are above the face buttons as opposed to being below them, this could make things difficult when playing games in my oppinion.
So am I going to buy it when it comes out?
No, not at launch. Reason being that when I bought the 3DS on launch day I was very upset with the game selection and there was nothing really to tickle my fancy (Well not untill zelda comes out on friday).
I don't want to see this happen with nintendo's new love child. Also the thought of Ubisoft providing a 'killer' amount of launch titles sends cold chills down my spine. Sorry, but ubisoft have really annoyed me with the amount of crap they provided at launch for the wii and 3DS, I don't hate the company but I think they are shameless. (Lest not forget GT PRO for the wii and the terrible ports they released for the 3DS.
However, saying all this, I believe the wiiU will be an amazing console, if there are good games out at launch I will buy it. Apparently it's coming out in summer 2012, so that should be a good way to shift units.
Oh and by the way, SMASH BROS IS GOING TO COME OUT FOR THIS.......(Although production hasn't even started yet)
Saturday 11 June 2011
E3 part 2 the games!
In terms of games, Not much we hadn't actually seen was revealed. The only thing I saw that was a surprise was.....
~ LUIGI'S MANSION 2!!!!
Yes it's back and as awesome as ever. After being revealed for the 3DS, I was somewhat surprised but I kind of expected it for the console, especially since the original was meant to be 3D on the gamecube using an LCD crystal. Hell yeah.
~ LEGEND OF ZELDA: SKYWARD SWORD
I didn't want to mention this at all, but after nintendo using an orchestra to show off the new game, I was thrilled and eagerly excited. Plus the news and new screens/trailers have really got me riled up for this game.
~ Elder scrolls V : Skyrim
I'll be honest I absolutely love morrowind and even oblivion, but skyrim.JUST.LOOKS.AWESOME!! I never expected what I saw, so many improvements may actually make this better than morrowind. All the rigidity has gone and lots of new things have been introduced and sorted out.
Mass Effect 3
What can I say it looks absolutely amazing, I have no problems with it at all. I actually can't wait for this game.
Ghost Recon : Future Soldier
I hate shooters, be that 3rd or first person. But this just looked, well WOW. I can't believe what I saw, graphics were amazing and it actually looked like a hell of a lot of fun, I really actually want to get this. What we saw from the opening level just looked like a hell of a lot of fun, hopefully the strategic elements will be top notch.
Lastly: Mario Kart 3D
I love mario kart, even with it's recent haterd for me with it's over abundance of blue shells and bullet bills. After seeing the new trailer for Mario Kart 3D I was actually quite surprised, I never expected Hang gliders and underwater style gameplay. It's a really great addition to add to the fun of mario kart.
And a last little offcut:
Other noteworthy games:
Battlefield 3
Resistance 3
Bioshock infinite
All the HD collections
~ LUIGI'S MANSION 2!!!!
Yes it's back and as awesome as ever. After being revealed for the 3DS, I was somewhat surprised but I kind of expected it for the console, especially since the original was meant to be 3D on the gamecube using an LCD crystal. Hell yeah.
~ LEGEND OF ZELDA: SKYWARD SWORD
I didn't want to mention this at all, but after nintendo using an orchestra to show off the new game, I was thrilled and eagerly excited. Plus the news and new screens/trailers have really got me riled up for this game.
~ Elder scrolls V : Skyrim
I'll be honest I absolutely love morrowind and even oblivion, but skyrim.JUST.LOOKS.AWESOME!! I never expected what I saw, so many improvements may actually make this better than morrowind. All the rigidity has gone and lots of new things have been introduced and sorted out.
Mass Effect 3
What can I say it looks absolutely amazing, I have no problems with it at all. I actually can't wait for this game.
Ghost Recon : Future Soldier
I hate shooters, be that 3rd or first person. But this just looked, well WOW. I can't believe what I saw, graphics were amazing and it actually looked like a hell of a lot of fun, I really actually want to get this. What we saw from the opening level just looked like a hell of a lot of fun, hopefully the strategic elements will be top notch.
Lastly: Mario Kart 3D
I love mario kart, even with it's recent haterd for me with it's over abundance of blue shells and bullet bills. After seeing the new trailer for Mario Kart 3D I was actually quite surprised, I never expected Hang gliders and underwater style gameplay. It's a really great addition to add to the fun of mario kart.
And a last little offcut:
Other noteworthy games:
Battlefield 3
Resistance 3
Bioshock infinite
All the HD collections
The deal With E3 and my picks.
So it looks like E3 is well over and done with and the dust cloud is starting to settle, I think it's safe to safe it's time for a recap....
So who won:
I think this year none of the big 3 brought their A-game at all. But I think it's safe to say that nintendo definitely won hands down. In terms of the other two, sony was better than microsoft, but I think even EA's presentation on fifa was better than microsoft's snore fest of kinect exclusives. I didn't mind what sony had to show, but nearly everything we already knew of already.
My favourite part:
What else, the WiiU. After all the wait, all the leaks, all the fake info....We finally got to see what the elusive project cafe was:
Yeah this.....
I think a big problem with the unveiling of the WiiU was that the actually didn't show the new console enough, all they were able to show was the controller, which in term has created mass confusion among the gaming community and also stock holders. (Nintendo's stock instantly dropped after the event, but the same happened after the wii was shown)
But for all people who haven't seen it here is the new WiiU console, I will be doing a thoughts post soon so look forward to that then.
Looks nice doesn't it.
TBC
So who won:
I think this year none of the big 3 brought their A-game at all. But I think it's safe to say that nintendo definitely won hands down. In terms of the other two, sony was better than microsoft, but I think even EA's presentation on fifa was better than microsoft's snore fest of kinect exclusives. I didn't mind what sony had to show, but nearly everything we already knew of already.
My favourite part:
What else, the WiiU. After all the wait, all the leaks, all the fake info....We finally got to see what the elusive project cafe was:
Yeah this.....
I think a big problem with the unveiling of the WiiU was that the actually didn't show the new console enough, all they were able to show was the controller, which in term has created mass confusion among the gaming community and also stock holders. (Nintendo's stock instantly dropped after the event, but the same happened after the wii was shown)
But for all people who haven't seen it here is the new WiiU console, I will be doing a thoughts post soon so look forward to that then.
TBC
Sunday 22 May 2011
The Spammy Character :(
It took me a while to really realise this, but it seems that nearly every 3D fighting game I play these days has 'that' character. Yaknow, the one that can always cause trouble and take about 50 tries to beat. Yeah that one:
This all started when I decided to get Soul Calibur IV. Now I actually don't suck at fighting games, I loved soul calibur 2, street fighter 2, tekken e.t.c. And as a result I was very good at those games. Getting into SC4 I noticed that although i could beat nearly every character on medium or hard difficulties, I would always get to The Apprentice and get my ass handed to me. I would change my playing style to offensive, defensive, throwing you name it, but whatever I did my skills were to no avail. Even with an easy difficulty I would require about 7 tries to advance. This just wrecks the whole experience for me, I really hate being good at games and then being taught a lesson due to some horrid balancing.
This is not the only case either, I finally decided to get a new psp after mine broke like 3 years ago, with it I had tekken dark ressurection, which I also used to be very good at back when I had my PSP base pack all those years ago.
But this guy always flattens my advances, one punch at a time.
Yeah STEVE!!! I hate this australian gimp with my back teeth :(
Now your probably just thinking, you just suck at this game. On the contrary my questioning reader, I can play through tekken DR on the second to hardest difficulty, but getting to this guy requires me to lower my difficulty to easy and still lose. Grrrrrrr.
Just a small rant there!
This all started when I decided to get Soul Calibur IV. Now I actually don't suck at fighting games, I loved soul calibur 2, street fighter 2, tekken e.t.c. And as a result I was very good at those games. Getting into SC4 I noticed that although i could beat nearly every character on medium or hard difficulties, I would always get to The Apprentice and get my ass handed to me. I would change my playing style to offensive, defensive, throwing you name it, but whatever I did my skills were to no avail. Even with an easy difficulty I would require about 7 tries to advance. This just wrecks the whole experience for me, I really hate being good at games and then being taught a lesson due to some horrid balancing.
This is not the only case either, I finally decided to get a new psp after mine broke like 3 years ago, with it I had tekken dark ressurection, which I also used to be very good at back when I had my PSP base pack all those years ago.
But this guy always flattens my advances, one punch at a time.
Yeah STEVE!!! I hate this australian gimp with my back teeth :(
Now your probably just thinking, you just suck at this game. On the contrary my questioning reader, I can play through tekken DR on the second to hardest difficulty, but getting to this guy requires me to lower my difficulty to easy and still lose. Grrrrrrr.
Just a small rant there!
Wednesday 11 May 2011
Exit DS
I'm not really a big fan of puzzle games, unless it's tetris. However, I think EXIT DS actually had a more unique approach that buying it seemed necessary (Plus it was only £2 when I bought it).
Exit DS is a puzzle game in which you play as the fantastic escape artist so aptly named Mr.Esc.
Along the way Mr.Esc will be escaping burning building s and saving dogs and humans alike.
Gameplay:
Gameplay is nearly completely controlled with the touch screen doing everything from pushing crates to moving characters around. However, one problem with the game is sometimes how the controls are implemented.
Things like moving the elevator and dropping off larger edges is done by tapping Mr.Esc and dragging down on the touch screen, this can be a major problem when you get to a tricky part of the game, get to the end of the level only to die because your tap wasn't good enough for the game. It's not a major problem, but it will frustrate players every few levels.
Speaking of controls, the game doesn't really do a whole lot of good explaining them either, simple things like placing a plank across two ledges was extremeley difficult because knowing where to tap was so damn vague. The most infurating part of all though , the rescuees. After rescuing a person in a level, by pressing a button they will follow you, but not always the way you want them, so say they are following Mr.Esc whilst being under the stairs, problems like walking off ledges and into fires.
Lastly, The camera could have used a bit of tweaking as after moving the camera and then once going to issue a command the camera flicks back without any manual control option.
Graphics:
Graphically, Exit DS is pretty good looking for a 2D game. It utilizes a Comic/Cel Shaded effect to a really nice degree, all the characters and sets look like they've jumped out of sort of comic. I also really liked some of the animations, such as the fire and even Mr.Esc himself, they really suited the comicbook/paper style.
Sound:
Sound isn't amazing on exit DS unfortunately, levels have a nice theme to each of them in terms of music, some being quite generic whilst others are actually quite entertaining and even catchy. Despite the music there is still the screechy annoyance that the other characters in the game pose. Every five seconds you will hear the HELP ME! of all the unrescued people on the level, this can be extremely irritating, well at least for me. Sometimes I thought the reason they were so annoying was so I would just play the game to shut them up.
Conclusion:
Altogether, EXIT DS is an enjoyable puzzle romp, despite it's minor inconveniences and intial teething problems. Especially at prices under £5 nearly everywhere now, this is a good buy for anyone with a DS really.
So I think this one get's the BUY mark.
PROS:
+ Fun game
+ Can actually be really challenging
+ Has wi-fi
+ Cool level design
+Nice graphical style
Cons:
-Iffy controls at times
-Crap tutorials
-Annoying characters
Exit DS is a puzzle game in which you play as the fantastic escape artist so aptly named Mr.Esc.
Along the way Mr.Esc will be escaping burning building s and saving dogs and humans alike.
Gameplay:
Gameplay is nearly completely controlled with the touch screen doing everything from pushing crates to moving characters around. However, one problem with the game is sometimes how the controls are implemented.
Things like moving the elevator and dropping off larger edges is done by tapping Mr.Esc and dragging down on the touch screen, this can be a major problem when you get to a tricky part of the game, get to the end of the level only to die because your tap wasn't good enough for the game. It's not a major problem, but it will frustrate players every few levels.
Speaking of controls, the game doesn't really do a whole lot of good explaining them either, simple things like placing a plank across two ledges was extremeley difficult because knowing where to tap was so damn vague. The most infurating part of all though , the rescuees. After rescuing a person in a level, by pressing a button they will follow you, but not always the way you want them, so say they are following Mr.Esc whilst being under the stairs, problems like walking off ledges and into fires.
Lastly, The camera could have used a bit of tweaking as after moving the camera and then once going to issue a command the camera flicks back without any manual control option.
Graphics:
Graphically, Exit DS is pretty good looking for a 2D game. It utilizes a Comic/Cel Shaded effect to a really nice degree, all the characters and sets look like they've jumped out of sort of comic. I also really liked some of the animations, such as the fire and even Mr.Esc himself, they really suited the comicbook/paper style.
Sound:
Sound isn't amazing on exit DS unfortunately, levels have a nice theme to each of them in terms of music, some being quite generic whilst others are actually quite entertaining and even catchy. Despite the music there is still the screechy annoyance that the other characters in the game pose. Every five seconds you will hear the HELP ME! of all the unrescued people on the level, this can be extremely irritating, well at least for me. Sometimes I thought the reason they were so annoying was so I would just play the game to shut them up.
Conclusion:
Altogether, EXIT DS is an enjoyable puzzle romp, despite it's minor inconveniences and intial teething problems. Especially at prices under £5 nearly everywhere now, this is a good buy for anyone with a DS really.
So I think this one get's the BUY mark.
PROS:
+ Fun game
+ Can actually be really challenging
+ Has wi-fi
+ Cool level design
+Nice graphical style
Cons:
-Iffy controls at times
-Crap tutorials
-Annoying characters
Friday 22 April 2011
What's a hardcore gamer???
So if your reading this out of your own choice then your probably a gamer.
But what is a gamer, in definition terms it's someone who partakes in the practical use of video games.
Even though we are labelled gamers, we are also distinguished in the gaming community. These being usually known as Casual and hardcore gamers. For some reason though we are labelled either for the wrong reasons depending on the games we play and not the way we play them.
I thought I wanted to just put forward this idea as I think so many people in the gaming community are missusing and abusing this term. It is actually really annoying.
So how do we define a Casual/hardcore gamer?
Casual: A person who does something irregularly: "a number of casuals became regular customers" This is the definitive i googled.
But in terms of casual we can say that for example your nan who hasn't played a video game in her entire life, finally picks up a wii sports controller.
Hardcore: intensely loyal; "his hard-core supporters"This can also be used to describe explicit actions such as XXX types of video.
So in terms of gamign we can say that someone who is devoted to WoW and plays it every bloody minute of every bloody day is called a hardcore gamer, well in this sense and my interperation.
So what's the problem?
People in our gaming community are being ridiculed, just for the games they want to play. Yes there are many casual gamers in the flock but they are new and may become hardcore one day.
How about wii sports resort, people who play that are nearly always called casual gamers, which is quite unfair, because in all fairness a mass percentage of the people who bought that game (like me) have played games a lot through their lives. So how does that mean they differ from the rest of the flock of blistered thumbs, it doesn't. You never know, some people who play wii sports are hardcore and want to get their skill level as high as possible.
And then we have the 'hardcore gamers' the ones who tend to big themselves up as some know it all video game god. Unsurprisingly, where I see this most is from the FPS community. People who play CoD and HALO really consider themselves hardcore. A lot of the people who play those games, only played about 3 games before that game, that makes them casual. just because there playing a shooter doesn't mean they are hardcore, well yet, it just means they are a gamer.
And that's we all are, gamers, were not hardcore, were not casual we are just gamers. And gamers, new or experienced, are part of that label. We all play games, in the same way that we all read (Well hopefully), watch films or listen to music.
So can we please get rid of this denominating label for what games we play.
Remember though this is MY OPPINION, please take it with a grain of salt before malliciously commenting!
(Yeah I know it's lame, but I want some gamers to just realise how they are alienating us into two camps)
But what is a gamer, in definition terms it's someone who partakes in the practical use of video games.
Even though we are labelled gamers, we are also distinguished in the gaming community. These being usually known as Casual and hardcore gamers. For some reason though we are labelled either for the wrong reasons depending on the games we play and not the way we play them.
I thought I wanted to just put forward this idea as I think so many people in the gaming community are missusing and abusing this term. It is actually really annoying.
So how do we define a Casual/hardcore gamer?
Casual: A person who does something irregularly: "a number of casuals became regular customers" This is the definitive i googled.
But in terms of casual we can say that for example your nan who hasn't played a video game in her entire life, finally picks up a wii sports controller.
Hardcore: intensely loyal; "his hard-core supporters"This can also be used to describe explicit actions such as XXX types of video.
So in terms of gamign we can say that someone who is devoted to WoW and plays it every bloody minute of every bloody day is called a hardcore gamer, well in this sense and my interperation.
So what's the problem?
People in our gaming community are being ridiculed, just for the games they want to play. Yes there are many casual gamers in the flock but they are new and may become hardcore one day.
How about wii sports resort, people who play that are nearly always called casual gamers, which is quite unfair, because in all fairness a mass percentage of the people who bought that game (like me) have played games a lot through their lives. So how does that mean they differ from the rest of the flock of blistered thumbs, it doesn't. You never know, some people who play wii sports are hardcore and want to get their skill level as high as possible.
And then we have the 'hardcore gamers' the ones who tend to big themselves up as some know it all video game god. Unsurprisingly, where I see this most is from the FPS community. People who play CoD and HALO really consider themselves hardcore. A lot of the people who play those games, only played about 3 games before that game, that makes them casual. just because there playing a shooter doesn't mean they are hardcore, well yet, it just means they are a gamer.
And that's we all are, gamers, were not hardcore, were not casual we are just gamers. And gamers, new or experienced, are part of that label. We all play games, in the same way that we all read (Well hopefully), watch films or listen to music.
So can we please get rid of this denominating label for what games we play.
Remember though this is MY OPPINION, please take it with a grain of salt before malliciously commenting!
(Yeah I know it's lame, but I want some gamers to just realise how they are alienating us into two camps)
So the quest begins!
After playing oblivion for a while, frankly disliking it, I decided to pop in the old morrowind. Being the 360 I have to start a new, but that's ok.
Check back frequently as I will have more done.
So let's start the humble quest..................
Check back frequently as I will have more done.
So let's start the humble quest..................
Gamertags:
If your weird enough to actually wish to play the same games as me, I have all 3 next gen consoles and i'l;l always be happy to chat to other gamers whilst tearing shit up online.
PSN :Bagelsaurus
XB : DARTHBAGEL1990
PSN :Bagelsaurus
XB : DARTHBAGEL1990
The start of something new......
So, after being basically bored with my stagnating gaming life, I've decided to pursue a bit of a more intellectual manner of playing games, by writing about them. I am personally a very 'hardcore' gamer that spends a lot of time playing and actually just admiring the games as the art style they are.
So hopefully you can expect some reviews and stuff from me.
Well providing your actually reading this.
So hopefully you can expect some reviews and stuff from me.
Well providing your actually reading this.
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