Damn it's good to be back!

Well ladies and gents what can I say..... It’s been a while since I have posted on here, a LONG while in fact, but I haven’t been skiving. I have been busy graduating university (a thank you) and getting myself a job in the industry (Games Tester if you must know) but now I am back. Better, Stronger, Faster and I’m ready to get this blog into full swing.

Don’t get me wrong over the months I have had many thoughts about this place and what I can do with it. Now I finally have some time I may actually be able to put those thoughts into production and share my ideas with the world. So let’s get Kraken shall we....

First things first...

Although I have been busy and had a lot of time away from here don’t think I have let my gaming needs fall behind, oh no sir. Over the past few months I have managed to get through many of the games that were released in Q1 and Q2 2010 and I shall be sharing my opinions of those in the next few weeks. Look out for write ups on Bioshock 2, Alan Wake, Red Dead Redemption and a few others I have in my collection.

As always though this wonderful industry is constantly moving forward so for this week I shallbe talking about one of the next big hits in the coming months.

Remember, Remember 9^th November

As I’m sure many of you are all aware that 9^th November sees the release of the next instalment of the Call of Duty franchise. Black Ops, created by developers Treyarch, sees players assume the role of a foot soldier taking part in Black Op missions during the Cold War era. Players will visit a number of locations such as Vietnam, Cuba and the Ural Mountains. 

We can expect the usual fast paced, action packed game play that we are used to from the Call of Duty series. However according to recent developer videos it seems that Treyarch have gone all out on making the multiplayer side of the game something to rival even the mighty Halo Reach. Not only can weapons be customised with perks and sights it will now be possible to create your own emblems and camo patterns for your guns. Characters will also be customisable allowing users to create a unique look for their online avatar.

There will also be a host of new multiplayer game types included in Black Ops. Ones to look out for are:

Wager Match:

Players compete for currency which they can use on buying new custom items for their avatars or guns (i.e. camo paint, scopes etc). At the beginning of each round players will bet some of their hard earned cash on whether or not they will place in the top 3 for the free for all match. Players that end up in the top 3 walk away with a share of the money and everyone else goes home broke.

I for one LOVE this idea; it brings a whole new reason to continue playing online and during each match you will have a sense of tension and anxiety not knowing if the next kill will leave you bankrupt. If someone beats you and takes all your money you know you will want to jump right back in there and take it all back. Wager matches will be present across a range of free for all matches so you can expect some brilliant rivalries to arise during these games.

One in the Chamber:

Now I have to admit this will be one of the game types that I will never leave. Players will spawn into the map with a pistol and ONE bullet. They must then hunt each other down and make that shot count. If you get the kill then you can take the other players bullet and continue, if you miss well then you better be quick on that melee button.

Sticks and Stones:

In this game type all players will start with a crossbow, ballistic knife and a tomahawk. The game will play out like a normal free for all where players can run round and earn kills and currency. The twist in this game however is if a player scores a kill by throwing the tomahawk then you immediately bankrupt the killed player. Watch your back in this one people.

Gun Game:

This does exactly what it says on the tin. Players begin the game with a pistol and for each kill scored they will progress to the next more powerful gun available. Once a player has gone through each gun tier then they will win the game. If you get knifed though during the game you will move back one gun tier.

These game types will be available from launch and run alongside the standard death match and team death match.

Treyarch have also confirmed a return of the hugely successful Nazi Zombies game type although we still have no idea how this looks or what we can expect. But the announcement alone that this game type will return has more than peaked my interest in the game.

We can expect to see Call of Duty Black Ops hit retail shelves on 9^th November. I for one will be front and centre to pick up this game. 

Right that’s enough for this week. Before you all go shouting off that there are other games coming out as well as Black Ops. Yes I am aware and I shall get to them in time. Don’t worry I haven’t forgotten about Gran Turismo 5, Fallout New Vegas, Medal of Honour, Vanquish, Fable III,  Star Wars Force Unleashed 2, Little Big Planet 2 or Assassins Creed Brotherhood.......Damn =S I’m gonna have my work cut out writing about all those. Anyways as always PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE subscribe, Like, forward to friends, comment and rate it all helps =D

See y’all next time.......damn it’s good to be back!

Work, work, work and more work!

Firstly apologies to everyone who actually reads this. I didn't realise how much work I would be given this last semster of Uni and I have been unable to update this blog for some time. So Sorry folks. =(

Right enough of the sad times. It is all good times in gaming at the moment thanks to all the studios delaying their games from last year to this year. So far we have had Bayonetta, Mass Effect 2, Dante's Inferno and we still have Heavy Rain, Alien vs Predator and God of War III to come. Yes that does mean i'm going to have to find some more money from somewhere to get all these games.

Mass Effect 2
As most of you may be aware Mass Effect 2 was released a little over a week ago and of course it was a day one purchase for me. The game is phenominal. It upgraded everything from the previous game and removed some of the more tedious parts (driving around in the Mako) and yet somehow added another tedious part (Planet scanning anyone).

The story is bigger and more badass than the first, I won't say anything just incase people haven't finished it yet. Side note to those people that haven't, What the hell are you doing?? Get it done! =P
The characters both new and old have been fleshed out a lot more and we hear a lot more back story about them and their species, which is what you can expect from a Bioware game. Combat has also been pushed to the forefront of gameplay and now plays a bigger role than the previous game. Getting in and out of cover has been tweaked and also collecting extra ammo from fire fights has been added. Yes Mass Effect 2 is certainly a more combat heavy experience but it still doesn't deter from the story telling experience.
There are still a couple of squables I had with the game. Nothing majorly at fault however I did find myself missing being able to fully customise my armour and weapons load outs for me and my team. Yes it took forever and a day to do and yes it was tedious but I just enjoyed it. I'm assuming that these elements were stripped away to make the game more fast paced.
Overall the game is absolutly a must have for any gamer. It has a compelling story, which can change depending on how you play and actions you take, frantic fast paced action and brilliantly fleshed out characters.
Oh and Elcors... =P

I have to admit I was all ready to give Mass Effect 2 a Game of the Year crown and it is still increadibly high on that list however...
If you have been following this blog in my last post I wrote about an ARG called 'Four Days' that is currently running alongside the launch of the game Heavy Rain. Now I have been following Heavy Rain from its first announcement way back when and knew that the game was destined for greatness.
Fortunatly for me and those people playing the ARG we were priviliged enough to get our hands first on the Heavy Rain demo for the PS3.......OH MY GOD!!

Heavy Rain
First thing that has to be said about this game is it is like nothing you will have played before in your life. It is difficult to even describe it as a game as it is more of a series of interactions cut with simple quicktime events. However the events are implented in the most invent way I have ever seen. The QTE's are built in the same way we would do things in normal life, they are based around human psychology. It is very hard to describe but I will attempt to now. The best example from in the demo is when an FBI agent needs to climb up a muddy and wet embankment. His first attempt see's him sliding back down to ground level. Now on the second attempt you are challanged with a multiple set of button presses to allow the agent to climb further. For a normal human to climb this embankment we would need to engage the use of our hands to help climb and stable our balance, so after the agent has taken his first few steps using the Cirlce and Triangle button which control his feet, we are then challanged to use the shoulder buttons as hand grips to pull him up. All the while still holding the face buttons so that his feet don't give out and slip away. At a moment where the mud starts to fall from under his hands the player must switch between holding down the shoulder buttons to clicking repeatedly to mimic the agents frantic hands grabbing at the falling mud.
Another area of the demo pits you in a brawl. The fast paced action mixed with the anxiety of not knowing which action you must perform next to evade the attacker makes the playing the game give you a feeling of actually being in the fight. Being nervous and ready at the same time. It is a very strange sensation. I have also heard that if your character becomes stressed our nervous within the game then button combinations or QTE's become more difficult as their mind is concentrating on other things.
As i said it is a very different and hard game to describe and i suggest that everyone download the demo on Thursday from the PSN and give it a try. You will not regret it.

As for graphics Quantic Dream have gone all out and the facial models and animations are some of the most realistic you will see in any game. Similar to Mass Effect the game is hugely driven by it's story and i can say first hand from playing the 'Four Days' ARG we are in for one hell of a ride.Heavy Rain is due for release on the 26th February and I for one cannot WAIT for its release. As i stated earlier i think this may be my Game of the Year.

Right i think thats most of my gaming news up to date. One more little side note. It is that time of year again for games design students across the UK to gather together and compete in the Dare To Be Digital competition. As this is my final year of Uni and my last chance to enter i am hoping that me and some fellow students will form a team and enter this years competition. I have a few ideas up my sleeve for some games designs so fingers crossed they will be able to come into fruition. I will keep you upto date with my goings on as and when i can. So until next time y'all.

As always feel free to get in touch and post comments.

Updatage!!

Ahh seems like forever and a day since I have posted on here. Don't worry I haven't died =) I've been busy getting my uni stuff together for the last big push.
But fear not because I have still been grinding through my games like there is no tommorow. I recently finished the awesome Bayonetta, look out for the full review soon, and am currently replaying through Mass Effect in preperation for the sequels launch on Jan 29th. GOD i can't wait!! =D

Right thats enough updating from me lets get you lovely people up to scratch with the latest in gaming news.

Sony
Recently Sony let slip that their new motion controller could be named 'Arc'. A bit of a far cry from the 'Gem' title it was given a few months ago but I think I much prefer this new name over the former.
Sony also stated that instead of the original release window of Spring 2010. 'Arc' would now be released in Fall 2010 putting it closer to the same time frame as the release of Project Natal.

Heavy Rain
Quantic Dream, the studio behind the PS3 exclusive Heavy Rain, have just launched an online ARG called Four Days. The game will have you solving puzzles and collecting evidence to try and get you closer to the killer. If you wish to sign up for this experience the link is here. I will most definatly taking part in this as Heavy Rain is a game I have been extremely excited about since it was first showcased.

Right I think thats about enough of an update for now. I better get back to this work =( boo.

As always if you wanna get in touch just contact me through here or on facebook.