As promised...

Like I said I would write a full post for the weekend so here it is...

Suppose I had better get it out the way and talk about the elephant in the room. I am of course talking about the Sony PSN hack. 

On April 20th the Sony PSN was taken offline due to an unauthorized intrusion, at this point 77 million users cannot play games online, access their accounts or purchase from the online store. Sony hired a number of computer security and forensic teams to delve through 130 servers and 50 programmes to try and gain information on what caused the intrusion and what information may have been taken. 

April 26^th, nearly a week after the PSN went down, Sony released a public notice stating that over 75 million users account information had been stolen, including names, addresses, passwords, email addresses and possibly credit card information. 

Obviously there was a huge public outcry. How could the information be stolen? Why was it not encrypted? Why did it take Sony 6 days to let the public know that their information was lost? All these questions have yet to be answered but Sony are doing their best to rectify the situation. A number of security firms have been brought onto the case and Sony are working with local law enforcement agencies to try and get to the bottom of this issue. 

They have also offered free credit insurance for US citizens with the rest of the world soon to follow. If that wasn’t enough once the network is back up Sony will be handing out free games as compensation to the loyal users of the Playstation brand. However some people still feel this isn’t enough with class action lawsuits being filed in the States, one in particular claiming $1 billion in damages (Come on dude really!?). 

Recent findings lead Sony to believe it was the work of hacktivist group Anonymous, possibly in retaliation to the Geohotz case not only that but also messages and calling cards have been found within servers leading them to this assumption. Anonymous have denied these accusations but due to the groups decentralized organisation it is difficult to claim. Could it have been a tear away group of Anon’s out for revenge on Sony? Who knows?

What we do now is that Sony is working round the clock to get their service back online. On April 30^th Kaz Hirai stated that parts of the PSN would be back within the week, this would include online play and account management. However that time frame has now passed and we are still left waiting. 

Personally I feel bad for Sony. This situation could have happened to any company and it is unfortunate all of the flak that Sony is taking for it. Fanboys will be fanboys.  Bear in mind also that Japan is still trying to recover from the horrendous tsunami incident this hack could not have come at a worse time. 

Looking forward...

So what does this mean for Sony going forward?

Public thoughts of Sony are at an all time low so I would hope that this kick starts something at the headquarters. Once the service is brought back online I would like to see a reshuffle to make the PSN more user friendly. There is no denying that the Xbox Live service trounces the PSN in its ease of use. Also to gain back support I would expect Sony to announce something big at E3, possibly an exclusive that Sony has had hidden away just waiting for the right time to reveal.

Of course this is all speculation and all we can really do is sit on our hands and wait it out. I for one wish Sony all the best in getting things back up and running a restoring the brand to its former glory.

That’s your lot for this week folks. If you have anything to add to the discussion please don’t hesitate to post comments or message me.

See y’all next time.

Same old story....

It seems like all I ever write on here is.... “I’m back” 

Yes don’t worry fellow readers (all 2 of you) I am still very much alive and very very busy. From my last post, almost 4 months ago now, I have landed a job at one of the industries great studios Codemasters.

 

Obviously I can’t talk about the work here but it is all go in the testing areas and that is partly the reason I have not been able to get a post up. All of my free time has gone into catching up on games I have missed and playing new ones that were released in the first quarter of the year. 

So far I have worked my way through Bulletstorm, Crysis 2, Limbo, Mortal Kombat, Portal 2, Back to the Future and ventured back to Beyond Good and Evil as I missed it the first time around. 

All great games worthy of their own reviews which I unfortunately do not have the time for at the moment. If I had to pick one of the bunch it would be Portal 2, at the moment my stand out game of the year for 2011. If Valve doesn’t win a writing award this year then I have no faith left in humanity.

Anyway I just wanted to give you all a quick update on how things are going and hopefully I will get some more posts up soon, as there is a lot to talk about, especially what has been going on in the gaming world recently. I’m looking your way Sony *shakes head*

Will get a new post up soon... I promise!

Guess who's back..........New post for a new year!

Before you say anything I know it has been nearly a month from my last post and I have been a bit lax in getting some writing done, but in my defence there hasn’t been all that much to write about at the start of the year and I have been job hunting, so you know.....priorities.  =)

Anyway all that changed yesterday when the hotly anticipated Bulletstorm and Crysis 2 Multiplayer demos were released. All I can say is WOW!

Bulletstorm

Created by the studio ‘People Can Fly’, the makers of cult hit title ‘Painkiller’, and in collaboration with ‘Epic Studios’, Bulletstorm has you taking the role of Grayson Hunt an elite mercenary from the group known as Dead Echo. Stranded on a planet after betraying your former squad commander you must do anything and everything to escape in one piece. 

In terms of narrative Bulletstorm isn’t going to be winning any awards, however the fast, frantic gameplay is where this title truly shines. At its core it is a simple first person shooter with an extremely morbid twist. The point of the game is to utilize the ‘skillshot’ system, this rates players on the creative ways in which they dispatch their enemies. To give you an example, simply shooting an enemy in the face may net you a cool 100 points, however if you boot the enemy into the air then headshot them you will gain a score multiplier. Each ‘skillshot’ has a crude name attached to it, which I will admit can at times be funny, for example shooting an enemy in the neck is called ‘Gag Reflex’. 

All of this is what makes Bulletstorm so much fun, coming up with creative ways to decapitate, mutilate and explode your enemies. You are not short on tools either with an array of weapons all of which have secondary firing options, environmental hazards such as iron spikes, pit falls and man eating plants also the ability to leash enemies and pull them in close or bounce them into the air for added mayhem. 

It is no surprise that due to its crass language, gruesome deaths and sinister humour, Bulletstorm has earned itself an 18 certificate. That’s not to say it is a bad game or doesn’t deserve a place in the market, but we should be aware that the game was created simply for entertainment and nothing more. There is no moral message behind it, no underlying sentiments that should affect people, it is simply mindless fun. In the same sense of a summer action blockbuster like ‘Rambo’ it is meant to be enjoyed for the big explosions on screen and the fantastical sense of it all.  Obviously with the way the industry is and the way we are perceived in the media I can see this game causing a huge ruckus, with moms everywhere screaming ‘please won’t somebody think of the children’. 

From working in retail for so long I know exactly who is to blame for this problem which the industry faces and trust me when I say it isn’t the developers. I’m looking at you parents. Anyway this is a whole other discussion which I hope to write about at a later date. Maybe once Bulletstorm has been launched and the media shit storm begins.

Whatever your views are on this type of game there is no denying that it is fun. With its great ‘skillshot’ system which is so over the top it is almost satire and beautifully rendered planet I for one cannot wait to get my hands on Bulletstorm on 25^th February UK.

Crysis 2 Multiplayer Beta

Crysis 2 is the follow up to the massively successful Crysis from Crytek, damn that’s a lot of Cry. It was hailed by PC gamers as one of the best looking games in recent years and is still a benchmark for graphics cards capabilities. Again a first person shooter at its core but the twist this time is players are able to control the ‘Nanosuit’. A futuristic looking wet suit which imbues it’s wearer with super human abilities such as strength, speed and the capacity to become completely invisible for a limited time.  

As this is only a multiplayer beta I am unable to comment on the narrative on the sequel, however if the gameplay is anything to go by we are in for an amazing experience. In the demo each player takes control of a soldier in the new and improved ‘Nanosuit 2.0’ you then compete in the standard 6v6 team deathmatch which we have come to know and love. 

Tweaks have been made to the control system in its port over to the consoles. No longer do players use the radial wheel to access the suits powers. Now instead powers are hot keyed to bumper buttons or automatically activate when needed. I.E Sprint boost activates as soon as you sprint. All the powers are controlled by your energy meter which depletes while a power is active and refills when they are not.  You are able to use multiple powers at the same time such as armour and sprint however this will cause the energy meter to drop quicker.  

Adding these simple changes creates a whole new tactical element for the first person shooter model, as players can switch their play style on the fly going from a stealthy attacker picking enemies off as they pass by, to an armour clad tank using the ground slam manoeuvre to get right into the fight. If that isn’t enough to change up how each match will play out, Crytek have also borrowed from the Call of Duty franchise and added perks and weapon attachments which each player can customise to their specific needs.

On the graphics front Crysis 2 looks stunningly beautiful on consoles, maybe not as good as its PC counterpart but it can certainly hold its own. To me it feels like a mix between Battlefield Bad Company 2 and Killzone 2, with its amazing lighting and smoke systems mixed with a bright and vivid colour palette. 

I have been playing this demo nonstop since its release and it will most defiantly be a day one purchase when its launch date rolls round on the 25^th March UK. 

That’s all for this week, I urge you to go and download both these demos now you won’t regret it. 

Hope you enjoyed the read.

See y’all next time.

The Best of 2010

So that’s it 2010 has come to an end. It has been a great year for games with records being broken at every major release and a host of superb games from all formats and genres.

It's only right that I make this post the obligatory, best of 2010. I am going to give a rundown of what I thought were some of the best games released this year. A few rules before we get things going:

- Games can be from any platform

- Games can be from any genre

- Obviously they had to have been released this year

- And most importantly......I have to have played.

So bearing that in mind I may miss some of your favourites as I simply didn't get round to playing the numerous titles released to the masses in 2010.

Now without further ado, let's get this thing started.

Bioshock 2

The year started out with a sequel, a big one at that, Bioshock 2 was a follow up to one of the most atmospheric games released in recent years. You take the role of a prototype Big Daddy, who is somehow more powerful than standard Big Daddy's, I think 2K missed the lesson on how prototype models work. Anyway the game plunges you back into the underwater world of Rapture which has now been taken over by a new menace. It is your job to uncover what is going on and escape as soon as possible. I was skeptical of this game at first as Bioshock was all encompassing and was in no need of a sequel, that's why I didn't play Bioshock 2 until the end of the year. I finally picked it up once the price dropped and gave it the time it deserved. Although the story wasn't as enthralling as the first game, the combat mechanics were tightened up making the action a lot more entertaining. Guns, plasmids and equipment were a lot more fun to use and made the game play extremely enjoyable, I'm looking at you rocket spears. If you are still yet to play this sequel, maybe due to the same reasons I had, put those feelings aside and pick up the game. You won't regret it.

God of War III

Kratos’s epic journey comes to its conclusion in the last instalment of the God of War series. Hell bent on his revenge with the Gods, Kratos along with his allies the Titans storm Mount Olympus to finally kill his father Zeus. Now many have said that this is the weakest game of the trilogy in terms of narrative and I’m inclined to agree with them however in terms of graphic capability this pushed the bar for what is possible on home consoles. The lighting effects and sheer scope of the levels is like nothing seen before in games. For that reason it earned a spot on my game of the year list. Oh and you can’t go wrong with tearing a gods head off with your bare hands.

Infinity Blade

As my review last week should tell you, I really enjoyed this game. Although I have now 100% completed it on my iPhone I am playing through again on the iPad. Something about it just draws you back in, its game play mechanics are extremely simple yet somehow very addictive. The perfect concoction for mobile gaming, add to that some of the best graphics on any mobile device thanks to the use of the Unreal Engine and you have a winner.

Mass Effect 2

Once again Bioware have done what they do best and created a world with a vast arcing story controlled by player’s moral choices, not only from within Mass Effect 2 but carrying choices over from the previous instalment to shape this sequel. You reprise your role as Commander Shepard, once again imbuing him or her with your own look and personality. The story is vast and has you travelling through space assembling a team to take down a common enemy, known as the Collectors.

To put it simply Mass Effect 2 is a mammoth achievement in game design and narrative. With over a hundred different player choices implemented to change the outcome of the game and a fast paced combat mechanic, mix into that heavy RPG elements and squad based shooter tactics. It is easy to see why Bioware reign supreme in this game genre. 

  

Heavy Rain

This was one of my most anticipated games for 2010. I had followed it from its early announcements, played the ARG game that preceded it and by the time its February release date rolled round I was ready to have my mind blown by Quantic Dream’s unique game.

In Heavy Rain you play the role of Ethan Mars, a man whose life is shattered when he loses his son Jason. Wrought with guilt Ethan blames himself for his son’s demise and spirals into depression. His wife soon leaves him and his only ray of light in the dismal world he inhabits is his other son Shaun. Unfortunately for Ethan the fates are against him as a serial killer on the loose known only as ‘The Origami Killer’ kidnaps Shaun. It is up to Ethan, and a few others to try and find the killer and Shaun before it is too late. 

I have been told i bare a striking resemblence to Ethan....What do you think?

Heavy Rain is an extremely story driven game and although there is not much in the way of game play, Quantic Dream did an amazing job in making the player feel immersed in the game world without breaking the stories somber mood. To call this a game though is an injustice, it is more an interactive experience. Borrowing techniques from the movie industry and melding it with great game design to make something that is truly unique. If you have the chance to experience this ground breaking title then do so. 

Darksiders

Very much a sleeper hit for me this year. Not many people bought this game as on the outside it looked like an average adventure game with the main character looking like something a World of Warcraft artist drew after taking a load of speed and being let loose with a paint brush.

However Darksiders was an entertaining romp through a fantasy world in a very much comic book style tone. This could be seen in both the character design, and the use of bold and vibrant colours added to the over the top feel. The game played very much like a Zelda game, action and combat mixed with some puzzle solving. All set to a story of Gods and Demons in an epic war with you caught smack bang in the middle. Honourable mention once again has to go to Mark Hamill for his superb voice acting as The Watcher, a character you just love to hate. 

Red Dead Redemption

Rockstar’s amazing Wild West saga has you taking the role of John Marston, a former outlaw who is forced to hunt down his old gang members in exchange for his family who is being held by the government. The open wilderness of 1911 America is simply breath taking and Rockstar have done an outstanding job in making the environment feel as alive as possible. Whether you are riding horseback across a barren desert to find lonely travellers or exploring the frosty snow peaked mountains in hunt of that elusive grizzly bear. Everything about this game just feels right, encompassing the player in a believable world where they can live out the fantasy of being a gunslinging bad ass. 

  

Call of Duty: Black Ops

Now I know that it is cliché to have this in the list and that the single player portion of the game was a whole load of average...BUT the multiplayer and zombie mode still stand out as some of the best game play modes consoles have to offer. I know the multiplayer is like marmite to people you either love it or hate it, but in my opinion it is a lot more balanced than Modern Warfare 2 and also contains the ever enjoyable Wager Matches. As for Zombie mode, I really don’t need to say anything about that. You already know how good it is.

....and that my friends are my picks for the year that was 2010.

I hope you enjoyed my little list and thoughts on the games that really had an impact on me throughout the year. As we look ahead to 2011 we have a LOT of great games to look forward to and I’m certain even more records will be broken and developers will find more ways to get us to engage with their games.

Who knows....maybe this will be the year where you will see my name in the credits of one of those all time great games.

Anyway whatever you’re doing and whoever you are with I hope you have a fantastic New Year and that good times are ahead for all.

See you all in 2011!!