Galerianxd1.co.uk

Retro Distraction

2012-02-06T12:24:00.000Z

So I've been looking over those old Xbox games again after finishing off Skyrim and spent a little bit of time with an old favourite of mine 'Burnout 3: Takedown' I have to say that even today 8 years after it's release on the Xbox and PS2, Burnout 3 still holds its own and it's still a blast of a ride.

Now I know what you're thinking "yes but this is a really old game, blah blah!" but seriously I couldn't put it down yesterday. If you own it take it for a spin again. If you down't own it.... Why not? Go to the worlds favourite auction site or your local retailer and go get a copy of this game. It should be in everyones collection.

Enough of me though, time for a retro-tastic video.

Gaming Quest - Is resumed

2012-02-06T11:40:00.000Z

Hmmmm long time and no updates. Erm sorry about that.

Well I've been to the Asylum and I now know that I should of gone much sooner than I did. I've also got myself a copy of Arkham City which I intend to visit very soon. The problem I have had is that Skyrim arrived in November and this has consumed my gaming time.

However I've now completed all of the main quest line and a sizable chunk of the available side quests.... At least I think I have. Suffered an acheivement glitch though which I believe was caused by a Thieves Guild quest being completed before obtaining all of the 15 Daedric artifacts. At this stage I have no plans to return to Skyrim although when DLC arrives I might be tempted to replay some aspects just to unlock the reward.

The next game on my quest is Final Fantasy XIII-2 for PS3. This I have started and so far I'm liking the gameplay tweaks and loving Paradigm Shift battle again.

Gaming Quest 2 - Arkham Asylum

2011-10-18T12:48:00.000+01:00

So Arkham City is touted as one of the contenders for GOTY 2011 and I've not even played the first game Arkham Asylum released back in 2009. I have this game which I got not long after release but the disc has never been introduced to the console.

I guess I should find out what all the fuss is about and at least play the game I have. I mean looking at my XBL friends list and out of 18 currently online 12 of them are playing Arkham City.

So without further delay I'll make a visit to the Asylum and find out if this is as good as I'm led to believe it is.

Gaming Quest 1 Part 2

2011-06-07T20:32:00.000+01:00

Grant City is now a better and safer place thanks to the efforts of Jack Slate and Shadow. Dead to Rights is polished off and I have to say that I'd recommend this game. Takedown kills are superb especially the Scrotality kill by Shadow..... Ouch!

I've downloaded the DLC and taken a peek at it. The DLC titled "Assault on the 87th Precinct" allows you to take up the role of the enemy. In other words the Grant City Anti-Crime squad. You play as a Sniper, Brawler and Tank, and the goal is to secure the precinct which is a twist on one of the games later missions.

There are a couple of extra modes the best one being a take on a Gears style Horde mode. Basically Jack and Shadow face off against waves of GAC forces, earning points "based on speed and style." Then there is Riot Control but I didn't play this so I can't really comment.

Pre-order exclusive stuff is also included as an extra incentive and these are the "Jack Pack" and the "Shadow Pack." These add a new set of shiny armor for Mr Slate and some camouflage for trusty pooch Shadow. Also included is an "action mode" which turns every bullet into a tiny, exploding grenade and if your retinas are burning away staring at the normal colour pallet you can activate the noir graphic filter and play in glorious black and white.

It's cheap to buy and easy to get into. Go get it now!

Gaming Quest 1

2011-05-29T10:14:00.000+01:00

So I'm intending to polish off the main campaign of Dead to Rights: Retribution. Going to do nothing else today but stick with DTRR to the bitter end. Seriously I'm enjoying this game so far. Occasionally there are few dodgy camera angles but graphically it's fairly pleasant to look at and those take down finishing moves are simply brutal. Even serveral hours in, I'm still not getting bored of those bone crunching, blood splurting executions.

First up then for those that have no idea who Jack Slate is lets take a look at the UK launch trailer.

Time to get stuck in then. Back later today to let you know how it's going and if I'm suffering with controller rage.

A Gaming Quest

2011-05-24T23:19:00.002+01:00

Videogames...... Hmmmm I love videogames! I love videogames to the point that I buy far too many and complete very few of them. Why do I buy so many and why do I pre-order so many when I know I'm not going to get around to even showing the disc to the system for weeks or months after they go thud on the doormat? I guess I just like to know I have them.

However when the story does grip me and I see the credits roll I do feel a sense of achievement and satisfaction that the game is completed. It's good to know that you've saved the world, looked cool whilst doing it and got the girl. Everyone likes a hero.

I've been chatting with a mate on twitter about this and he is keeping a diary of sorts about the games he has piled up waiting to be played and his progress getting through them. I'm going to use my blog to do the same in the hope that it encourages me to play through some of the games that I have in a pile gathering dust whilst waiting to be played.

I'm not quite sure how this is going to fit in with releases like Dungeon Seige 3, Infamous 2, Duke Nukem, Demons Forge and Fear 3. All of which are scheduled for release next month. Of course the sane reaction to this would be pick one for pre-order.... well maybe two. Leaving the others until later. They might even be cheaper by then too. But me being me I'll pre-order all of them just so that I have them. Do I need to seek medical advice? :S

Anyway I need to do a list of the to play pile. Knowing how far to go is difficult, I mean do I go waaaaaay back to Xenon 2 on Atari ST, Doom on Atari Jaguar? Maybe Code Veronica on Dreamcast or even Burning Rubber for the GX4000 for example? Well to be honest probably not. Burning Rubber is not a game anyone would want to complete and the GX4000 was not one of Sir Alan Sugars best ideas. To be honest he should of fired himself after that disaster.

I think it's fair to say I need to limit how far back I go in terms of formats. Though I do think it would be interesting to put some kind of monetary value on all of the stuff I've collected over my gaming career. But before I scare myself silly with that the formats I'm going to attempt are;

Playstation 1, 2 & 3 (whispers.... I've never compelted FFVII) OMG! Shock Horror! WTF etc etc

Xbox, Xbox 360 (you know I still think Xbox 360 is a stupid name Xbox 2 would of been fine)

Wii, Gamecube (Not played Wind Waker yet or Zelda on Wii)

You can all laugh now..... Wait until you see the list! Of course anyone reading this must help with choosing games from the list and help me in my gaming quest. Reportage on quest progress will be here and I'd welcome comments and of course hints and tips to aid my efforts.

Dungeon Seige 3 - June 2011 Release

2011-03-14T18:02:00.002Z

I'm sure that lots of people have heard of and perhaps played an RPG called Dungeon Seige developed by Gas Powered Games, released in 2002 for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. Why am I talking about this? Well the third game in the series is set for multi platform release in June 2011 (subject to change I'm sure) but this really could be the sleeper hit of the year in my completely uninformed amatuer gaming blogger opinion.

Dungeon Seige takes place in a land known as Aranna. To the western edge of Aranna is the Kingdom of Ehb and the Plain of Tears. Ehb was originally a trading post on the very limits of the Empire of Stars that became a province and protectorate after the 10th Legion moved west following the War of Legions and the total collapse of the Empire of Stars.

So where does the hero fit in?

Farming life in the Kingdom of Ehb is difficult in ordinary times but life takes a turn for the worst when creatures known as the Krug attack the small farming community. At the start of the game you are given the task of finding help and assistance from the residents of a neighbouring town called Stonebridge. It is not long before you will meet others who will aid you in your quest. You might of guessed already that the story does not end in the town of Stonebridge and that the Krug are not the only nasty causing mayhem in the Kingdom of Ehb

If you have not played the original game (there is a version including an expansion pack) called Legends of Aranna, then you should have a word with yourself and get on over to a popular auction site and get bidding. No need to worry about system requirements as these are tiny compared to even basic laptops from the last few years should have no problems running the game engine.

System Requirements:
Microsoft Windows: 4:3 Display, Windows 98, 8x CD-ROM, DirectX 7 or above, 16 MB video card, 1 GB hard disk space with DVD version
Mac OS X: Mac OS X 10.1 or above, 450 MHz PowerPC G3 processor, 256MB of RAM, 16MB video card

Right, well enough about history lets move quickly on to Dungeon Siege 3.The plot as described on http://www.dungeonsiege.com/ for the new game reads as follows:

Centuries ago, when the Empire of Stars collapsed, the land of Ehb became a refuge for the 10th Legion. They were the finest and best-trained of the Imperial armies.

The noble legionnaires protected Ehb during the War of Legions, when the old Empire tore itself apart. At the War's end, the commanders of the 10th Legion established a new and independent kingdom of Ehb. Throughout Ehb's history, the Legion provided stability and protection, but they left rulership of the kingdom to an independent monarchy. As years passed, the Legion became increasingly powerful. Its influence grew to rival the monarchy.

Then, thirty years ago, Ehb's king was murdered, and blame was cast upon the Legion. Led by the young and charismatic Jeyne Kassynder, the people rose up and slaughtered the 10th Legion, tearing down their proud chapterhouses and estates.

With the fall of the Legion, the kingdom has fractured into petty states and free towns. Most of the country has fallen under the sway of Jeyne Kassynder, who controls the Church and eastern Ehb. Her power is steadily growing. The royal court has retreated to the mountain fastness of Glitterdelve, in the west, and the bustling city of Stonebridge has declared itself a free and independent republic.

Only a scattering of Legion descendants survive. Many were hunted down and slain by Jeyne Kassynder, while others fell victim to the mobs of common folk, who rose up to sack their estates. But a network of descendants endures, organized by an elusive old man - the Venerable Odo - believed to be the last surviving legionnaire. He has protected the children of Legion blood and kept them safe from Jeyne Kassynder.

Now a gathering has been called in the remote Rukkenvahl, in the north. Odo has asked all the Legion descendants to assemble, in an attempt to rebuild the Legion and take back their kingdom from Jeyne Kassynder, before it is too late...

Reading through the game features list it seems that the new visit to Aranna requires the help of 4 playable heros.
A large variety of weapons, special moves & magic
Lots of LOOT (we love lots of LOOT)
Multiplayer: Up to 4 players online
Co-op play (one in each class)
Split screen offline
Jump in/Jump out Multiplayer
Player's actions impact the story and environment
Character's stories are different, but the ending is the same

There is also a limited edition available for pre-order. Of course I'll be getting this myself and taking advantage of the bonus items that will enhance and increase my characters abilities.

Let's have some more trailer goodness

Simply cannot wait tot get my hands on this.

Divinity 2: Dragon Knight Saga Review

2011-03-08T19:25:00.001Z

Divinity 2 starts with you finishing off your training as a Slayer. Once your training is completed and you have been imbued with the dragon memories you will take your place in the ranks of an ancient order of warriors and vow to remove all Dragon Knights from the world. Things are bright and rosey for a little while, the sun shines brightly in the sky and birds chirp and sing whilst cute bunnies run around in the long grass. But as you've probably guessed already, things go just a little bit wrong and you unwittingly become one of the hated and feared Dragon Knights that as a Slayer you had vowed to exterminate.

After receiving your dragon powers you meet a wizard called Zandalor who really would look at home on the film set for Fantasia. Zandalor tells you about Damian or The Damned One (you know the sterotypical Doctor Evil type) and his plan to bring his lover, Ygerna back from the dead. Ygerna as it happens is soul forged with Damian. This soul forging thing is some clever magic stuff that will result in Damian dying if Ygerna lives again. Bringing this about of course should ensure that all is well once again in Rivellon.

There is a rudimentary character design system employed that allows you to choose between a male or female and also allows for some basic choices like sound of voice and hair style. After starting the game you choose your character type from Ranger, Mage or Warrior. This choice is however mostly redundant as it's the skill system used throughout the game that provides you with the real customisation options. Skills from several schools are available regardless of the character type choosen allowing you to mix your archery with some mage summon spells or some warrior slice and dice abilities. It also allows for a complete rewrite of abilities if you think you've taken the wrong path, but this will cause your coin purse to lose a fair bit of weight.

Basic Character Creation

Divinity 2 is not the prettiest game ever created and the engine powering procedings is certainly not a turbo charged monster. However despite some dodgy textures and the odd bit of pop-in here and there, the fantasy world of Rivellon is well thought out and the environments are for the most part quite varied. There are large open areas with grass and trees swaying in the wind, abandoned mines, goblin caves and flying fortress bases to destroy. Character models are unfortunately quite limited in number but there is a large amount of NPCs to interact with and the regional British voice acting is pleasing to the ear and actually quite amusing in places.

Like my new ride?

After you've dealt the pain to quite a large number of nasties all of which have been quite eager to remove your limbs you will get to take ownership of a rather interesting piece of property that is complete with a bed chamber and a throne room. I should also mention it has a rather handy alchemy garden, a skills trainer area, a platform for your necromancer and finally an enchantment platform. All of these areas are operated by your very own staff who can enchant your weapons and armour, extend your stat limits thus allowing you to assign more points to your favourite abilities in the skill tree and to brew potions to heal you in battle, replenish your mana or increase your strength for a limited time. The necromancer enables you to modify your creature by using the body parts you have collected whilst looting chests and dealing with all manner of foes. You even have your very own private dancer on your staff list. However pole dancing this is not but the dancing does look painful but comical at the same time.

Shreks cousin doesn 't look friendly

Combat is in real-time and often quite frantic especially if you've stumbled in on some level 20 nasties going about their business when you're only a mere baby at level 10. Abilities, attacks and items can be added to the d-pad and controller buttons for quick access. It's a good idea to map a button to available healing potions and summon creature. Your creature is a powerful friend so finding decent body parts to stick together should be high on your shopping list. Always carry a decent bow because many battles can be finished before they become an up close and personal affair, but at the very least your foes can be softened up a little first.

It will be several hours before you will finally get to flap your wings and take to the skies of Rivellon as a dragon though. When you do get your wings you will find that flying in your dragon form is fantastic and the controls respond just as you'd expect. Unsurprisingly there are a quite a few of the infamous invisible walls that hem you in and the phrase "the skys the limit" doesn't apply here. You cannot fly over the mountains and at times this seems a little frustrating and a little silly. There are also some areas that are protected by anti dragon energy fields, so avoiding those is a good idea if you wish to avoid plummeting to your doom. As a dragon you still have armour available to you and also some skills ranging from summon friend, to shield and regenerate health. But things are much more limited with two wings than on two legs.

Dragons are Awesome!

Wandering off to do some side quests or to explore a new area whilst putting world saving heroics on hold is a great feature. There are no automatic trigger points to worry about and major events come with an appropriate warning. The quests and characters are always interesting but are often hampered by a poorly designed log and a map that is often more trouble than help. Despite these and other little niggles Divinity 2 is an addictive RPG with a well thought out plot that will keep you playing for just a little longer than you intended.

Dead Money DLC

2011-02-08T20:58:00.000Z

As in previous Fallout DLC tradition a new quest and radio station will appear on your trusty pip-boy device. Choosing to follow the pointer on your map will take you to a long abandoned Brotherhood of Steel bunker that is accessed by a grate in the sand. Of course your human curiosity means that you are going to enter the bunker and when you do you will be subjected to a some kind of sleeping gas that knocks you out cold in mere seconds.

When you come round you will find that you've been whisked away to the isolated resort talked about in folktales 'The Sierra Madre casino'. History explains that 'The Sierra Madre' never opened due to some nuclear bombs exploding, which has left the resort trapped in a toxic cloud of red and presumably smelly fog stuff. Legend also tells of a casino vault that remains untouched and that many greedy adventurors have tried, but failed to claim it's riches.

Getting into the casino as you've guessed was never going to be as easy as strolling up to the front door and pressing the door bell. Especially if the Ghost People have anything to do with it. They are tough and come armed with some not seen before weapons like big pointy spears and boxing gloves made with bear traps. Not being very friendly at all, they'd like nothing more than to poke you or thump you, they really are not fussy which it is.

Enjoy your stay!

Enter Father Elijah and his dastardly plan to gain access to the casino and it's lost treasure. I should mention that said dastardly plan involves little old you and an exploding collar to ensure obidence to your new master at all times. Elijah has also removed your Mojave loot, your armour and all of your previously acquired weapons. Your companions have also returned to their homes too.

Your first task is to make some new friends. More specificaly friends that have been hand picked by Father Elijah himself, who like you are also wearing an explosive collar to keep them in line. Dean Domino is a confident playboy type. He is deboniar and also a Ghoul who before the war was a very popular entertainer. Dog or should I say God perhaps, is a Super Mutant with a split personality. He changes from the pleasant and educated God to the blood thirsty Dog. Finally there is Christine, a mute woman who easily has the most interesting back story of the bunch.

The King of Swing

The explosive collar clamped around your neck has a nod towards the movie world and is on the surface quite an interesting idea. You quickly find that your collar can suffer interference from radio signals and the speaker systems that are dotted around the resort. The bleeping sound that the collar emits raises the tension and requires that you search for the source of the interference before you lose your head. Some of the radios can simply be switched off by interacting with them and some of the speakers can be shot to silence them. But there are those that are protected and can only be dealt with by hacking the associated terminal.

Taking part in the local economy will require the use of casino chips as bottle caps have no value at 'The Sierra Madre'. Traders and caravans are nowhere to be found, only abandoned vending machines designed for use by the resorts visitors offer any kind of retail therapy and they can also be used to purchase some sustenance should you be feeling in need of a little pick me up. However finding just one of your five a day is probably going to prove difficult. Much better items can be purchased later on and it is also possible to trade in items you have looted such as clothing, weapons and cigarettes for chips.

I can see right through you

The holographic security system inside the casino adds an element of stealth to proceedings. The security drones have a limited range due to their emitters but be warned they are completely indestructible and are heavily armed with lasers. Dealing with their programmed routine via a terminal is a sensible course of action. Be prepared to run for your life though if you are spotted.

There is a sizable amount of story to digest here and a huge helping of back-story that unravels some of the mystery surrounding your bunch of new found friends and the tainted history of the resort that never opened. Experiencing all that Dead Money has to offer will easily consume 8 hours and more if you attempt to find every detail. You will need to ensure that you've checked under the bed and down the back of the sofa because after you have left the Sierra Madre there is unfortunately no return ticket.

Ohhh! What big green eyes you have

I think it's fair to say that DLC for the popular Fallout 3 game have been on the whole successfully integrated into the game world and story. Fitting DLC into an RPG is certainly no easy task and requires a lot more thought that just a new map layout or some new weapons and armour. DLC for an RPG needs to slot in with the overall narrative of the game and integrate fully with the characters and the world that they inhabit. Dead Money continues this success and never feels seperate from the Fallout world.

Magna Carta 2 Review

2011-01-25T22:25:00.002Z

Magna Carta 2 is an RPG from Korean developers Softmax and is not to be confused with the famous document of 1215. Magna Carta 2 despite it's name is not a direct sequel to the previous games in the series and is actually set in an entirely different world from its predecessors.

In typical JRPG style you are introduced to Juto, a young man suffering with amnesia and a very trendy hairstyle. So as you take control of Juto you start out living a quiet life complete with afternoon snoozes on an island without a care in the world. But of course tradition dictates that this tranquility is going to be shattered as Juto will enveitably be entangled in a major war that threatens the very existence of the planet.

Highwind Island is very quickly under attack by Northern Forces who's war crimes include killing defenseless islanders and destroying expensive property that enjoyed attractive views of the beach and reasonable council tax rates. Juto sees his friend Melissa (not sure if they would of dated) fall in battle at the hands of the Northern Forces General named Elgar (I don't believe he is any relation to the English composer though) However Juto picks up her sword and swears that he will hunt down Elgar and take revenge. You know the typical “And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger…” type of response to a traumatic event that involves the untimely demise of a potential love interest.

Princess Rzephillda Grena Berlinette (or Zephie to her friends)

Soon after these events Juto learns of the civil war that has been raging in Lanzheim and with the blessing of the Princess.... Yes there is a Princess in this story too. But you knew that already right? You've read the caption above haven't you? Does Juto get the girl? Does she love him? Does the Princess approve of his fashionable hair style? Is her outfit really suitable for fighting monsters? These are important questions of course, but as I was saying with the blessing of Princess Rzephillda, Juto joins the Counter-Sentinel Unit (a crack team of fearless fighters) and it is with their help that Juto hopes he will find the one who killed Melissa.

Combat is where Magna Carta 2 really reaches out to it's audience. The monsters and enemies can be avoided or engaged and combat is seamless with no warp to the local battle arena needed. No menu selections are needed to attack your foes and battle actions are executed in real time. You can move your character around the battlefield, attacking and dodging as you wish, but don't expect to just mash the 'A' button as quickly as possible though as each attack (connected or miss) expends stamina. Using it will allow the use of some very powerful attack moves but it could also leave your character in 'Overheat' immediately afterwards.

Flash battle effects are always cool to watch

Timing and stamina management are key aspects here and getting it right means you can perform chained attacks that deal out increasing amounts of hurt and pain. Get your timing wrong and you will end up with two of your party members in 'Overheat' state and briefly unable to move. As your character enters 'Overdrive' you will be able to 'chain' your attack with another party member, by performing a special attack and then switching to the other member (that has stamina) increasing their damage levels and if they finish off their attack with a special move and enter 'Overdrive' it will result in a 'chain break' event and cause both party members to instantly recover their stamina and thus avioding 'Overheat' This chaining of attacks really is a core mechanic of the game and whilst it is a little tricky to master it will become necessary for quite a few of the boss fights. It also ensures that fighting is out there in the fast lane, keeping it challenging and fun.

Side quests are plentiful allowing for the all important collection of experience points and loot and are thankfully integrated quite well into the main storyline. Some of the missions are specific to party members and special items can be acquired by completing them. Whilst it is not essential to take them on these missions do flesh out some of the backstory for your companions. There are also hapless civilians that need to be rescued and troublesome monsters that must hunted down and exterminated. Most of the quests and missions are accessed when the main story allows access to new areas. This approach helps to keep things neat and tidy and a helpful warning is given if progressing further will prevent you from completing them.

Chaining attacks deals out huge damage

Weaponry can be tweaked by adding special gems called Kamonds to them to directly enhance their properties and gems can also be used to boost player stats such as HP, Intelliegnce and Agility. The crafting system feels a little bit underdeveloped and involves harvesting Kan from defeated monsters by using Zephie’s signature move in battle and using the recipes that can be found in the game world to make accessories.

Impressive art direction glues things together and it shows in the beautifully detailed and textured game world. Locations are varied and colourful with large open environments, underground caverns, bustling city streets and will make most players take a moment or two to admire the view. Character models are very nicely drawn and their battle animations are exciting to watch with brightly coloured magic effects and over the top strike sequences.

Environment detail and textures are first rate

An orchestral soundtrack is part of the package which whilst not worthy of a Grammy music award it does a good job of setting the atmosphere for the game world and ramps up with a livelier score during the many battles you face. Sound effects throughout are pleasing to the ear as the sounds of magic fill the air and swords clang together. Voice acting is good for the most part but like many other JPRG style adventures there is always one character that really should of been given less lines.

Don't think the Boss is happy

Ultimately Magna Carta 2 isn't going to rewrite the laws of RPG gaming but it is presented well, it's battle system is fun to play and it's always beautiful to look at. The story is fairly standard stuff, but still it manages to pop in a twist here and there and I found myself caring for my on screen companions. It mattered to me that they succeded.... That we succeded!

Educating Little Timmy

2010-12-20T16:24:00.006Z

Grand Theft Auto is a gaming phenomenon that just about everyone has heard of. Perhaps those living in caves might not know what I'm talking about, but then they probably don't have an internet connection so won't be reading this anyway and I'm quite sure that they are not Rockstar's target audience. However there can be no doubt that GTA is huge commercial success and that it has touched the lives of countless gamers the world over.

In the beginning there was GTA

In the very beginning, well in back 1997 actually there was a new game in town called Grand Theft Auto released for the Playstation console. I played it death and you could drive a Cosworth. People from my age group will understand the significance of this. So moving on..... As you should know by now (you've had long enough to play it to be fair) the original GTA game was a top down view crime simulator, which allowed the player to cause some extreme amounts of mayhem and death in the city with weapons and vehicles. It was certainly great fun and a very cool game to own. Oh and and you should also note that the men folk found their women scary, because they were so big and hairy.

Things have moved on a long way since those early beginnings and in 2001 the leap to a fully 3D world with beautiful polygons being pushed around the screen was made. It was with the release of GTAIII that media controversy really started to heat up. Of course, It's a game and games are for kid’s right? It had a big 18 on the box and clearly is a game for the more mature gamers amongst us. Despite this obvious fact parents everywhere purchased this game for their darling cherubs and now little Timmy can solicit prostitutes for favours. After receiving said favours of the kind that only a lady can provide, he can then choose to kill them and so claim a refund. He could also shoot police officers and murder members of the public after car-jacking them. Quite shocking I'm sure you will agree. It is terrible that little Timmy should be exposed to this kind of outrageous content.

Of course after the uninformed parent has purchased GTA for little Timmy he will be getting a wealth of real life skills to help him on his way to adulthood. Let's examine some of the skills he can expect to learn whilst making a name for himself through crime.

Just $1 per session

One of the things that Timmy will discover is that the internet offers all sorts of opportunities and GTA does a wonderful job in this regard as the internet is actually available in the game. Yes really it is. There are a number of Internet Cafes around the city called TW@ that will introduce such things to Timmy as email and internet dating for the lonely types who are looking for friendship and maybe more. Does internet dating actually work in real life? I suspect it doesn't because I've never had any luck in Liberty City finding that special someone for love or the benefits that are associated with it. Perhaps in future GTA releases marriage will be included. Of course marriage can mean free sex or no sex depending on who you speak to about such matters. This might be why Rockstar have avoided this aspect of society thus far.

So lets look at the TW@ experience in a little more detail. It would seem to me that no matter if you have the brain of a Nobel Peace Price winner matched with clean pop star looks you are not going to find love on the interwebs. Why is this? Well unfortunately you play videogames so therefore you are a nerd with acne and no dress sense so this means that even a member of the opposite sex or same sex for that matter (I have no intention to discriminate) that is so large that their profile picture is an aerial photograph, they will still look the other way. You will need to get out more, improve your diet, exercise more, and perhaps even get a tan. Finally you need to get a life and find some real friends. These are the sort of friends that do not require a request and imaginary ones do not count either in case you are wondering.

Hopefully what Timmy will realise is that Niko is rejected time and time again by all of the classy women he tries to pursue via TW@ dating. He has no luck despite having expensive clothes, pockets full of folding money to spend and some real nice motors to be seen in around town. You see poor old Niko is really a nice guy once you get to know him. Sure he has a few issues and kills a few people, but who doesn't need to have a bit of clear out now and again right? The lesson here is that people online are not going to fall in love with you, so you should quit trying or just not start out down this road to rejection.

What Timmy should learn is that dressing nicely means it's easier to get some action with the ladies. Finding someone to join you in baby making practice is one of life’s challenges and one that many struggle with for a number of reasons. However take the advice on offer from Niko and know that changing ones outfit is a good way to impress. If you are after the rich upper class girl with nice apartment and poodle, then a hoody and combats is not going to make your quest for love easy. Dress appropriately in a smart suit and you'll be making a deposit in the love bank before you know it.

In real life of course you can always pay for certain services and GTA will show you how this is done. Timmy is able to interact with ladies of the night who will provide him with entertainment when he is bored and lonely or just between missions. I would urge you to remember though that these nice ladies are people too and they offer a valuable service for many citizens from all walks of life in our major urban centres. You should also be mindful that prices and experience may vary.

Any cash back sir?

When you have the appropriate funding to pay for the services of a lady from the night you should ensure just like in GTA that you take her somewhere that is out of the way and quiet. There are certain standards that must be adhered too and just parking your car on the street just will not do. A quiet grassy area or the dark corner of a car park is a perfect venue for some professional loving. (the local KFC is not appropriate) If you are the thoughtful and respectful type you will pay your way in the world and bid the nice lady a pleasant evening. Be aware though that there is no loyalty card scheme available. However if you are the self centered evil maniac with people issues type (you are a gamer so this is probably you) then you could always pull up your trousers (pants for Americans) and knock her down with your stolen car to get your cash back.

What about guns? Well GTA has lots of them just like real life does. GTA shows us that it's not guns (big or small) that kill people but people that kill people with guns. Guns can also be used for the cash back situation above too if you really don't want to put a big dent in the bodywork of your newly stolen motor vehicle. Obviously death by motor vehicle conserves ammo but I think it's fair to say that DNA evidence aside; it's not a great look to be cruising the streets with blood stains on your car. It's much worse if there are those annoying fleshy bits though.

That's a big'un!

In GTA guns can be purchased from a gun shop, which again is just so much like in real life. Guns can also be acquired from gangster types that like you are trying to eke out a living in the big bad city of sin. All you need to do is shoot them in the street with no regard for innocent members of the general public or property. Sure there might be some collateral damage, the odd stray clip of bullets here and there or a rocket propelled grenage perhaps, but it goes with the territory and it's good to remember that free stuff is great. Free stuff gives you a fuzzy feeling inside and makes you feel good about yourself. The fact that a few people died along the way is for the most part irrelevant.

GTA teaches Timmy that he needs to eat too and to ensure that it is at regular intervals. It's amazing that this is also true in real life. The danger of course and this is covered by GTA is that eating too many burgers will make you big, fat and slow and much more likely to get shot by a dangerous rival. Being big and fat means you have the agility of a stunned slug and it is this that will make you vulnerable, especially since you are so large even a blind man couldn't miss with an AK47. So remember that a moment on the lips is a lifetime on the hips.

ROFL!

Eating is also an important activity in another way though. You're a man and as such you should be pre-occupied with sex and when you are going to get some of it next. Just like in real life you will need to take your girlfriend out to an appropriate fully licensed establishment for eating and drinking to further your deep and romantic relationship. Making the wrong choice of venue though could mean the difference between some loving between the sheets or a night in a seedy bar drowning your sorry ass in a bottle.

GTA also features some brilliant music that I'm sure Timmy will enjoy. However Rockstar have included some Rap music. This music style also exists in real life unfortunately (note that the term music is used lightly). This type of music is for people who do not know any better and are generally tone deaf. It's inclusion is simply not necessary and could cause lasting damage to the impressionable kids around the world.

Take heed of the lessons contained within this world created for us by Rockstar and use it to be successful just like me. No really, just like me.

Revolution

2010-12-19T10:00:00.001Z

I'm sure that some of you may of heard of the new kid on the gaming block called OnLive which is a cloud gaming service recently launched in the US. OnLive provide the ability to stream games directly to your TV or you computer from a server farm. The latest gaming rigs are not requirement for this service but what is required is a decent broadband connection to your home. More than 5mbps is recommended for best performance and for TVs larger than 40inches. I suspect that not everyone reading this has a 5mbps connection.

OnLive is expected to be launched in the UK during 2011 in partnership with BT who have purchased a 2.8% stake in OnLive. The service would be managed and from the BT datacentre in Wales and if estimates are to be believed, this one location could service users within a 1000 mile radius. BT also has an exclusive rights to bundle the OnLive service with it's broadband packages offered to UK based customers but it will be possible after launch to purchase a subscription directly from OnLive and for it to be used via other UK based ISP's.

The interesting thing about the OnLive service is the Micro Game System. This is essentially a small box (around the size of the 360 external hard drive) that connects to your internet router and a HDTV. There is support for game controllers via USB, surround sound via HDMI pass through or optical connection. The included controller is also provided with usb charge cable and batteries and costs $99. Signup online, unpack, plugin, purchase game pass and start gaming. Sounds brilliant doesn't it?

Is this a revolution? It probably is or should I say probably will be. It could even be the missing link, that will truly bring the internet into the living room of homes across the nation. Not only could a delivery system like OnLive bring gaming to our homes via a phone line or cable provider, it or similar companies could also bring subscription based TV and Film access. No need for satellite dishes and set-top boxes anymore just a broadband connection.

Surely this is possible isn't it? We already have digital distribution of games via XBL, PSN and lets not forget Steam. We have music downloads (legitimate of course) movie downloads but the difference is they are stored on a device not streamed live to a player in your home or to a mobile device. Is this an evolution in digital distribution? Or could it be the end for many.

Talking about the end might seem a bit dramatic but what I'm talking about is the end of highstreet game retailing. Love them or hate them (you know the chain I'm talking about) I personally do feel that the highstreet would be an empty place without a store that I could wander into to take a browse the latest releases or to check out the pre-owned section for a bargain or two. It is also right to make a mention of our favourite online auction destination. The bottom line here is and one that many people perhaps overlook when buying a download is that you can't sell a digitally distributed item.

Of course there are many jobs in the supply chain that rely on not only a highstreet presence but of online retailers selling a physical item. I would certainly have a 'where have all my games gone' kind of moment as my game shelves would no longer house my favourites they would be online! In the ether somewhere, just a licence or online pass.

Certainly being able to hold the game you have purchased in your hand is satisfying for me. It is something that is mine it is not just a digital file or item in a menu it has a physical pressence, it's tangible and I'm comfortable with that. With a service like OnLive although you purchase the license to play the game your ownership of that title really does depend on the survival of OnLive as a business. I think it should also be fair to mention that support for titles purchased is 'promised' to be up to three years.

Unfortunately I do think that many gamers will be happy with a download cloud service allowing them to purchase a game that they play for a short time before moving onto the next new title with little worry about cut off dates and no thoughts of a alphabetically ordered game collection by platform to distract them. However whilst many of the major publishers we are familiar with have announced support for OnLive there are few games that could be considered new releases available for purchase at the moment.

It is easy to see why the major publishers would be keen to invest in this kind of distribution platform. Removing the retailer, the packaging and the manual whilst arguably good for the planet, it would not good for jobs in the supply chain and certainly not good for the highstreet. There is also the potential for loss of choice and price competition brought about by a reduced number of outlets. It is however probably good for the balance sheet of the publishers.

Not that I am one for fear mongering but I think we should take a moment to consider current distribution via retailers and the competition that this can and does create. Is it possibly true to say that an online delivery platform like OnLive would lead to prices remaining higher for longer due to limited competition and no need for something we all love called a SALE! Is there a danger that, we as consumers will sleep walk our way into digital distribution?

I'm sure that many of my thoughts regarding digital distribution are perhaps age related. I mean, I still buy CDs. Why? Because as I mentioned before it tangible. I can hold in my hands the music that I have purchased, I can thumb through the inlay, read the lyrics and appreciate the artwork. I cannot do this with an MP3 file on my computer. I am from the Walkman generation not the ipod generation and it is probably because I'm a grumpy old man that I dread, perhaps even fear the enivitable march towards digital and 'virtulisation'.

These things said I do think it is clear, that changes are coming to not only gaming but to the way we consume many different services and products. Cloud services are a growing in popularity and whilst the service offered by OnLive is limited today, it and services similar will only grow in size and popularity as we consume more and more digital content conveniently as a stream or download.

Mass Effect 3 Trailer

2010-12-12T01:55:00.001Z

5 million dead and London in ruins. If Shephard doesn't do something soon then the Reapers will destroy Earth.

Video Games

Mass Effect 3
VGA 10: Exclusive Debut Trailer

XBox 360
Playstation 3
Nintendo Wii

OMG! Errrr really can't wait for this. :D

Venetica

2010-12-06T19:30:00.002Z

Venetica? What's that I hear you say. Let me explain. Venetica is a cult German RPG with a good looking leading lady called Scarlett who is capable of some quite nifty magic. I should add that Scarlett is also quite handy with weapons and she really does like Warhammers. Scarlett likes death, talks to Death, is comfortable with death and has no issues with killing creatures and people that stand in her way.

The core of the game is centered around the City of Venice and set in a pre-renaissance styled setting with just a few graphical winks to Fable here and there. But it is in a small mountain village attacked by deadly assassins with impossibly big hats that Scarlett's adventure starts. As ruthless unprovoked attacks go on your home this was fairly high on the devastation scale and Scarlett's brave boyfriend Benedict is killed whilst defending her from the evil hordes. Now add a sprinkling of Vengeance and stir.

As Scarlett sets out on her path and early on in the questing she will learn a skill called The Passage and it is this skill that will allow you access to the spirit world which is essential for dealing with things like um' spirits and ghosts and that sort of thing. Of course you will need a weapon capable of slaying the undead menace and thankfully a nice chap has safely hidden away a weapon known as the Moonblade for this very purpose.
Whilst exploring the Fable-esq mountain village of San Pasquale you address your wardrobe issues with the help of the local smithy. You will also indulge in a little retail therapy and perhaps take some time out to learn some fighting styles allowing you to populate a few of those slots on the all important skill tree.

It's not long before you arrive in Venice and it is as beautiful as you would imagine it to be, but there are some graphical quirks and glitches to contend with here. There are fantastic water effects to marvel at but then sadly there are some ugly low resolution textures to ignore as you wander the streets. Venice is split into a number of districts and some of these have creepy catacombs beneath with all manner of things eager to bite or slice a chunk out of the leading lady.

There is a wide variety of quests to perform and it will not be long before you find yourself gaining strength quickly and adding new abilities to your skill tree via combat and magic trainers that can be found throughout the entire game world as you progress towards your goal of ousting the Doge and the necromancer Victor.

Combat is intuitive and whilst you can just mash the 'A' button on the lower difficulty setting, chaining your attacks by timing the next swing as the weapons glows ensures that you deal huge damage as you fight. Switching into 'The Passage' by using the spell that takes you to the spirit realm will allow you to redress the balance of a fight if things are getting a little to difficult or you find yourself surrounded by multiple enemies. Accessing the spirit realm removes you from the real world and therefore from the sight of your enemies allowing you to escape and re-engage them as you choose.

The boss battles follow a tried and tested formula which involves spotting the attack pattern before you rush in with sword swinging wildly to your untimely and perhaps painful demise. There is however some variety in what is thrown at you as each of Victors henchmen must be defeated in two stages, those being the physical or real world realm and the spirit realm.

Venetica has a lot of charm and will hold the interest of many RPG fans, but and this is a shame there is often a low budget feel that pops up a little too often. Audio is cut and one moment a character seems angry only to be calm in a split second for example and at times this spoken word is not the same as the subtitles. Whilst not game breaking it is such a shame that these things mire what could and should of been a brilliant RPG adventure. I can still recommend it though and I thoroughly enjoyed the journey.

Apparently Death is a Calling

2010-11-28T03:56:00.001Z

I've just purchased a game called Venetica on 360 at 3:45am as you do. No I'm not drunk but I admit I've never as much as seen a trailer for this game but liked the description enough to buy it. :S Although I am downloading one as I type. I'll provide linkage in due course chaps.

However Venetica is an action RPG set in 16th century Venice and to become Death in Venetica is a calling that is fulfilled by a man of flesh and blood. This man is equipped with special skills (not completely unexpected) and it is with these as yet unknown skills that he will carry out the duties of the office of Death.

It seems though that being Death is not a permanent posting and that a new Death is regularly selected by "Corpus", some kind of secret council that probably has some really weird initiation ritual and perhaps involves dress up games. I'm speculating of course but the Corpus makes an error of judgement and the new Death guy "Victor" (why you give the job to someone called Victor is a good question) but it turns out that Victor is a bit of a nutter who dabbles in necromancy and turns himself into a really powerful undead type geezer with IDDQD style immortality.

I suspect that any self respecting undead nutter with the power of immortality would be quite goal orientated and I'd hazard a guess that world domination is probably key.

What of the hero you say........ TRAILER TIME :D

last.fm

2010-11-28T02:16:00.002Z

Started using last.fm again. It's genius :D Works really well with XBL too.

Add me last.fm/GalerianXD1

Deus Ex 3: Human Revolution

2010-09-21T16:25:00.001+01:00

Wow! just take a look at this new Deus Ex trailer.

So what is Human Revolution?

Deus Ex: Human Revolution is set to be the prequel to the original Deus Ex game released for PC and Playstation 2 back in yester-year to much deserved critical acclaim. The new game is scheduled for release (sometime early 2011 apparently) and takes place during the year 2027, 25 years before the first game (Deus Ex.) at a time when Nanotechnological augmentations have not yet been developed and biomechanical augmentations are the current state of the art mods.

The main character, Adam Jensen is a private security officer with Sarif Industries which is a leading company specialising in augmentations. It is after he witnesses an attack upon his company, one that leaves him horribly injured and he is forced to undergo some augmentation to survive. This is how the conspiracy begins.

How about you take a peep at this in game trailer too?

Human Revolution cannot arrive fast enough :D

Evil Has Been Resurrected

2010-09-21T12:32:00.006+01:00

Ok so it took a while to get back to Mars (at least 5 years late to the party) But I've finally been back via my Xbox console and what follows is what I found.

Resurrection of Evil is set two years after the end of Doom III when a UAC satellite detects a faint signal from Mars. Now of course this means that YOU (the typical big hero type guy will be sent on a mission by your UAC masters to find out more about the ancient civilisation that had at one time setup the comforts of home on Earths big red neighbour in the sky.

Ok so this is not terribly complicated stuff and you would perhaps think that after the all the problems with demons and other foul tempered nasties a couple of years ago that the idea of returning to the planet would be off the agenda. But after setting foot on the planet you are in for at least another ten hours of Doom-tastic action and any thoughts that you might of had about the story being a right load of old codswallop are soon just a distant memory.

The game takes little time before it starts introducing you to the residents from hell and your first anti Satan spawn toy is the Ionized Plasma Levitator. It's basically a gravity gun and I'm not saying it's blatant plagiarism but it works just like the Gravity Gun belonging to Mr Freeman in Half Life 2. It allows you to pick up objects and fire them at the nasties you encounter and even to return the hell spawn fireballs and plasma back to sender. For the most part I found this to be just a novelty toy but did find it occasionally useful for the 'obtain armour' or 'health pack' from a spot I can't quite reach scenario.

Nice demon, nice demon........ arrrrrgh!

One of the best weapons in the game and one with a nod back to Doom II is the Double Barrelled Shotgun (it's ultra powerful but quite slow to reload) however the vital weapon for your adventure is The Artefact. Visually it looks like a beating heart and it seems that it was this that convinced the greedy suited types at UAC to send you to Mars. Problem is they failed to mention the demons requiring some serious attitude adjustment in the job spec though.

Anyway it just so turns out that this gruesome looking beating heart thing enables the lucky owner to go all Max Payne on Hell Spawns ass. So what you actually get is Bullet Time in Doom! Yes it's cool and yes it's implemented very well and feels like it's always been a feature.

So with your organ in hand you can slow down time for around 15 seconds allowing you to zip, zip about and cap everything in the immediate vicinity that threatens to end your career with the UAC. Your powerful organ will be invaluable to you when you meet the really big and very grumpy boss types as the game progresses. Later on you will be able to go 'Berserk' allowing you to punch Satan’s cousins to death with one hit which can be quite a handy trick to do sometimes. Organ replenishment is actually done by consuming the souls of UAC employees with no further need for pension options or profit related pay. You will trip over these poor fellows quite frequently so it's easy to top up before the next big battle.

This is hardly the time for such activities and it's not what was meant by

whipping out the old organ!

Visually Resurrection of Evil has a dark and grimy look very much like the Doom III game. Wandering around the now abandoned facility will require you to switch between weapon and torch and it should be no surprise that creatures will jump out at you and usually from behind you. It's not as scary as your first adventure on Mars because by now you should be used to the creatures from hell jumping out of the dark at you and you are of course able to whip out your organ and give them a good going over in slow motion. However despite this there are quite a few times when you will be caught by surprise and find yourself frantically dodging (well more like running away from) the attentions of a demon whilst switching from your torch to weapons.

The sound is consistent with the original too. The weapons make decent bang noises, those nasty hell fiends make (errmm hell fiend type noises) ambient sounds from the environment are also polished and appropriate. It's not a revolution in gaming by any means and it doesn't really stray from the proven Doom formula but if you have enjoyed a Doom game in the past you will certainly have a lot of fun with RoE.

Two Worlds Review

2010-08-24T19:17:00.006+01:00

The big difficulty with defining what makes a great role playing game is that people often have very different expectations. What makes it great? Is it a game with brilliant graphics, an engaging story with characters you can care about, a huge wide-open world perhaps, maybe it's hundreds of side quests and clever combat mechanics or is it alternative endings and alternative quest completion methods. I could probably list some more but you can see what I'm trying to say. Many role playing games try to cover many of the aspects above and many fall very short of their goals. In many respects the same critisism could be levelled at Two Worlds but despite some flaws, I found it a very enjoyable game and one that I could not put down.

The story despite being fairly standard stock for a so called western styled RPG is still interesting and deals with a war that raged in Antaloor between the humans and the Orcs. The war ended with the imprisonment of the Orc God Aziraal in a tomb pretected by magic. As you start the game, 300 years have passed since the end of the war, but a dwarven mining expedition has possibly stumbled upon the big Orc God trapped inside his tomb. Waking him up would probably not improve the relations between the humans and the Orcs. I mean I'm no expert on Human and Orc relationships but as things go I'd assume that this big Orc God guy doesn't like humans much and would probably be quite annoyed about the 300 year trapped in a tomb issue.

So what of your character in Two Worlds? Well you are a mercenary and although you ususally do some mercenary type stuff you are more worried about finding and rescuing your sister than you are saving the world from certain doom. From the start of this adventure you can if you so wish jump headlong into the main storyline and battle through all of its quests, or you can of course wander around the world exploring new locations, taking on some side quests that will involve some helping and some killing of people and monsters for gold and lets not forget that lovely loot. One thing that anyone starting out with this game should think about is that there is no level-balancing in Two Worlds which means that you do need to do quite a few side quests to aquire not only some decent weapons and armour but also the all important experience to increase your characters stats.

Exploring the game world is something that all RPG players love to do and Two Worlds offers lots of diverse locations in a huge game world. There are cities, castles, grave yards, villages, ruins, camps and lots of caves and dungeons to discover and lots of enemies to battle when you wander off the beaten path. There are also teleportation devices allowing you to fast travel as required ensuring there is no need for any tedious backtracking through areas you have discovered already. The player also has three portable teleporation devices that can be quite useful and for example can be used to get you quickly and easily to merchants so that you can sell your loot and then continue your plundering with a minimum of fuss.

There isn't a class system in TwoWorlds and there is also no option for a female character either (sorry ladies) but you can customise things like hair and face etc if that's the sort of thing that tickles your fancy. The real character customisation is about placing attribute and skill points that are awarded when your level increases as you play and taking careful consideration before assigning your points. For example if you play as a fighter you would need to add lots of points to strenght and vitality stats and use your skill points on things like critical hit chance and balance. If you prefer the magic of a mage you should concentrate more on willpower and the magical skills which includes the four elements and also necromancy. These are not rules set in stone by any means and you can try the middle of the road approach and distribute points in multiple areas, so that you can attack your enemies with a fireball spells and then finish them off with a good bashing from a big club if you prefer.

Weapons and armour are both plentiful and varied. As there is no character class system the only real restriction is level requirements. The really good weapons and the really cool magical staffs are only available as you get stronger. You can brew your own potions for health and mana and also to alter your character stats. In addition to your brewing prowess you also have the ability to create magical enhancements for your weapons as well. Ingredients for your famous elixirs are everywhere in the game world and include plants, rocks and even body parts like Zombie brains. Experimentation can be a lot of fun and luckily you have a complete alchemy kit that is accessible in the inventory and it doesn't take up any space to boot.

Visually Two Worlds looks great and generally textures are nicely detailed but there are some frame-rate issues that whilst not game breaking can be distracting at times. Battles can freeze for a few moments especially when there are multiple enemies all trying for a chunk of game hero. There are also some loading pauses throughout which although quite brief can also be distracting when the disc icon pops up at the bottom right of the screen whilst you are exploring in the hills.

Two Worlds is a solid role playing experience and one that all fans of the genre should try. With a little patience it's a very rewarding game.

There is an online element which I've not been able to look at as there doesn't seem to be anyone playing and there is also a couple of DLC packs for 600MSP. Anyone reading who just happpens to own this game can fire over a friend request if they fancy some online Two Worlds fun.

DiRT 2 Review

2010-07-26T16:54:00.004+01:00

The Colin McRae franchise has seen several outings over the years and opening up the brand to a wider audience (by this I mean the North American consumer) was always going to cause quite a bit of controversy and put quite a few noses out of joint. I have to say though that the team at Codemasters have done just that and turned the familiar rally driving game into a multi-discipline off road experience, that still maintains the core challenge that has made Colin McRae rally games the success that they are.

Some design choices from Race Drive GRID can be seen here and perhaps to the annoyance of the hardcore the adoption of the ‘flashback’ game mechanic appears in Dirt 2. ‘Flashback’ allows you to pause and rewind the last few seconds of the race so that you can rectify serious mistakes without the need to restart the entire race. The easier the game difficulty setting is, the more ‘flashbacks’ there at your disposal during each race. Of course the hardcore would see this as a dumbing down and insist that practice and persistence are required.

Right from the start the improvements are clear to see. There are no menus for event selection but a far more interesting graphical representation of your surroundings. When you move between the game options you move around your motorhome in a first person perspective. From here you can see events available to you at any of nine world locations which include a track at Battersea Power Station, stadium locations in Los Angeles and Tokyo, rocky courses in Utah, tropical jungle events in Malaysia and some traditional Colin McRae countryside driving in Croatia, Morocco and China. After you have selected your event, you automatically move outside to the cheering crowds and a rock music soundtrack. What remains now is to choose your vehicle, tweak as required and then hit the start line.

There is plenty to keep you busy here too with around 100 events to complete that are split between point to point and lap based challenges. Add the new vehicle classes and racing disciplines. Then add the Pro, All Star ranks and three X-Game World Tour events where five races must be completed and mastered to win the title and large helping of experience points.

The hardcore moaners (is that you?) will find more top-drawer rally events than they can shake their controllers at. The EGO engine handles everything asked of it with ease from fast rally point-to-point to the new ‘Trailblazer’ mode that removes the pace notes and makes for some frantic butt clenching action. Domination is a combination of your performance over one lap split into four sectors. Last Man Standing also has that butt clenching ability too. As its name implies if your in last place when the timer reaches zero you are out of there. The ‘Raid’ mode replaces the cars with buggies and pickup trucks and features a race against seven opponents across rough and treacherous terrain.

‘Gate Crasher’ is the weakest of the modes involving a timed race that requires the need to consistently crash through that will add a small amount of time to the clock. The higher the time left at the finsh line the better your chance of a place on the podium. ‘Rally Cross’ and ‘Landrush’ modes are a more traditional style race event with ‘Rally Cross’ racers in cars and ‘Landrush’ nutters in buggies and trucks.

Codemasters have always delivered in all of their racing titles and DiRT2 is no exception to this rule. Exciting and challenging from the first race your progression is consistently rewarded with new vehicles, dashboard toys, new liveries, experience points and access to new events after almost every race is completed. If the going is getting a little too tough you can switch the difficulty at any time during your career and the only penalty is the reduction in cash won through your extreme adventures.

Whilst you are enjoying your extreme adventures behind the wheel of a tweaked ride try to take a moment to take in some of the scenery as it whizzes by the windows. There is no doubt that Codemasters have put a lot of effort in since the original DiRT and it is a delight to see the tones and surface contrasts, shadows, lighting, dust and reflections when you are sideways in the Malaysian jungle or scrambling for grip on the gravel of Croatia. EGO has evolved and no matter what is thrown at it the frame rate never drops. It’s fast, beautiful and lots of fun.

Handling of course is always key for a racer and this department has always been the biggest strength of the boys and girls at Codemasters. I’m quite sure that there is a hardcore out there that might suggest DiRT2 has an arcade feel to it. I can tell you that what it does have is exactly the right balance between the realistic and the fast paced game-play that any driving game must have if it is to succeed.

Multiplayer includes all of the career modes enabling you to battle it out with up to seven opponents just as you would in the offline career. You can opt for a team based events with up to four players and there is also the Jam Sessions mode which allows you to create your own custom race.

DiRT2 is one of the most accessible games of the driving genre with enough events and modes to keep any fan entertained for hour after hour. There is more than enough here for the novice and hardcore racer alike.

Split/Second Velocity Review

2010-07-19T11:44:00.002+01:00

Making a racing game is not easy if you plan to create something with some originality. With that in mind how about a racing game with some C4 strapped to buildings, bridges, cars, trucks and a super special move that changes the racing route altogether. Sounds like fun doesn't it? Well it is so read on.

Mr Bruckheimer hosts a racing TV show. Not just any ordinary TV show but a brutal motorsport bonanza which sees contestants dodging all kinds of explosions and stage managed calamities. Racers competing in this demolition reality show must earn the right to trigger traps and explosions by drafting, drifting and generally avoiding being turned into Mr Crispy. (Or Miss Crispy)!

All of the routes feature a series of opportunities for pyrotechnic chaos. Routes are cut off and new ones created. Towers and bridges collapse, trains and trucks fall off elevated track and roads that crumble around you and change the racing line. Helicopters drop explosive barrels and smash huge dumper trucks through tunnels scattering chunks of concrete and smashing your rivals. A ship slides through a dry dock and crushes anything in its path, even shortcuts can be triggered, but get there too late and the gate is slammed shut!

Power Plays are one of the keys to success in this game and you earn them by drifting around corners or drafting close behind other racers. Activation icons will appear over an opponent car or cars, if a Power Play is at your disposal. Time it right and you will wreck them with an exploding truck, car, or a bus tumbling into the road. Multiple wrecks are always satisfying and you are informed if an opponent has experienced an inconvenient delay in their racing progress. There is also the chance that you wreck yourself if you are too reckless in dishing out the carnage. There is also a shockwave from a Power Play and these can knock you or your opponents off from the racing line and even cause a fish tail effect that sees you wreck on the next corner.

All of the vehicles in Split Second look great and the virtual garage includes super cars, muscle cars and some quite mean looking pickups. But it’s the vehicle stats that really need attention if you are going to be a winner. Some have high strength values which means they are not easily overwhelmed by the shockwaves from the man made disasters unfolding on the new Top Gear show. Other cars are blessed with a higher drift rating which will allow you to earn Power Plays quickly and to spread your love around the route with a series of big bangs. Vehicles with high acceleration ratings recover much faster from the attacks of your rivals and it is easier to recover from the drift that went just a little too far. Picking the right car for an event is key, but you will start to get attached to some personal favourites as you progress through the events.

Getting the hang of drifting is vital to your success. It is easy to understand what you must do but it is difficult to master the timed use of power and brake to slide through a corner without crashing or touching barriers and walls that will slow you down to a crawl and let your opponents flash by you with ease. It’s a balance that you need to strike between the power plays you can deploy and the speed you lose by drifting.

Other modes available include Elimination. Just make sure you are never bringing up the rear of the pack for this one. Find yourself playing catch-up and it could end with a BOOM. Detonator is a one-lap time trial that sees all manner of hazards thrown at you as you race the clock for first place. Survival requires you to dodge exploding barrels that are ejected from the back of large trucks. You must pass the trucks to score a combo and extend the timer. Once the timer reaches zero its sudden death.

The weaker modes are Air Strike which involves sliding and steering your way through missile strikes from an attack chopper. Successful avoidance builds your combo bonus and score. But the higher the combo the more missiles you need to dodge. Air Revenge is a reversal of Air Strike and requires you to earn power by drifting so that you can turn around those missiles in return to sender style.

Multiplayer modes include Race, Elimination and Survival and all are a real blast with some friends. Online leaderboards allow you to track your progress and of course can be used for bragging rights. Split screen support for localised play is always a good idea for any racer and it works really well here too.

So Forza or GT this isn't. There are no twiddly bits on the cars to play with. No spoilers to buy or bad boy stickers... Sorry I mean decals to apply. It's an arcade racer that is loud and challenging but easy to understand and play.

Split Second Velocity oozes polish and excitement from the first lap and never stops.

Singularity Review

2010-06-28T19:12:00.001+01:00

I like first-person shooters. Doesn't mean I'm any good at them but I like running and gunning, taking down monsters as I go. I like the fountain of goo and gore when heads pop and big explosions from wildly powerful rocket launchers. Alas things had started to get a little too serious for my liking in the world of FPS with the likes of Call of Duty strutting around.

Singularity is the new IP from Raven Software and it's the first in over a decade. It's an IP that has dispensed with the trend for realism and thankfully has gone the route of outrageous shooter fun fest. It's funny and silly and has some cartoon style mixed into a story line that doesn't really make a whole lot of sense unless your out of your face on cheap Russian Vodka.

So the game starts with you.... well these things usually do but anyway you are an American soldier who is sent to a Russian island, apparently it's a secret Russian island no less called Katorga 12 that was the home to lots of mad scientists probably out of their face on the aforementioned Vodka who had been performing experiments with a newly discovered element they called E99. This obviously all went horribly wrong as these things do. Fast forward to inevitable big explosion and now Katorga 12 is teeming with monsters many of which are hungry for human flesh and then there are the generally bad tempered and trigger happy Russian soldiers that are intent on shooting you in the face given the opportunity.

To deal with this threat to your own personal well being is a range of weapons which get more powerful as you progress through the game world. Remember when shooters used this approach? You can also upgrade your weapons by acquiring weapons tech that can be found lying around in the colourful and detailed environments. No over use of brown and grey here. One of the most impressive weapons is the Seeker that allows you to direct the bullet with the right stick to its destination. If you manage it limbs are separated from your victim with a pleasing display of blood and gore.

Exploring the game world will reward you with audio logs and written notes that advance the story and some very funny USSR propaganda films to watch too. There are also some time flash back events that are very polished and are introduced by a visual ripple effect that I imagine is a ripple in time or something like that. They are beautifully presented and fit right in with the action and atmosphere.

Did I mention the time manipulation element and the time travel? No ok well you also get this rather nifty Time Manipulation Device (TMD) which is attached to your left arm and receives upgrades periodically as you progress through the levels of the game. The TMD however will need to be fed with energy. It does slowly regenerate overtime but you will need to keep your beady eyes peeled for the TMD energy cells.

The TMD is central to gameplay in Singularity and you will use it to make objects younger and older. This is not only useful in combat as you can rapidly age a soldier or turn them into a zombie like creature that will attack his own comrades. But it is also used to manipulate crates between old and new states. New means the crate is clean and strong and old means it is rusty and broken down. The first time you use this feature will be to jack open a door allowing you to progress once more. You will need to move it, break it down and then restore it to push the shutter up enough for you to crawl through. Another very useful mechanic is the ability to grab objects and throw them back at those that wish to harm you. Objects like grenades or the dreaded red exploding barrel. All first-person shooters need red exploding barrels.

There is always something different and interesting going on and the tension is close to unbearable as you make you way passed Zombies that you learn are blind via a message scribbled on the wall. Of course they have sharp hearing and will make short work of you if you alert them to your presence. The problem is the ammo and E99 lying around that you'd like to collect from right under their grotesque Zombiefied noses. It's tense!

Early on you rescue someone from a burning building only to be sent back through a time rift to shoot them which helps the mad but friendly scientist that will give you some instructions and tell you what is going on. He is trying to stop another mad person of Russian heritage who wants to manipulate time enabling him to rule the world. But actually he might not be trying to stop him really. Oh and then there is Kathryn the British agent from some underground organisation that probably helps make people disappear for powerful people and she seems to be friends with the mad scientist and she is kind of cute too. Well she would be as she is a mysterious British agent after all.

Lots of what Singularity does has been done before but what makes me recommend this game to any shooter fan, hell any gamer really is the brilliant level design, the pretty graphics, the solid gameplay mechanics and the fact that it's funny and fun to play.

Take a look!

Kinect is lagtastic!

2010-06-22T07:58:00.000+01:00

During the Microsoft E3 press conference apart from the annoying 50 kazillion times the words "Xbox 360" was spoken, the only thing that really impressed was the speech recognition stuff. Waving at the camera is not my idea of cool. It looks stupid, is stupid and is really quite pointless. Surely the easist thing to do would be to say the word "Zune" and the system take you straight to Zune with no need to wave at the camera.

The games shown that are designed from the ground up for Kinect and also those to receive some kind of integration did not wow in my opinion. There is of course the obvious sports games. Boxing, bowling, etc etc! Wii sports anyone? I will admit that it was cute to see the game with the Tiger, Kinectimals or whatever it's called but sticking your arms out to pretend you are steering a car is not something you are going to do for more than a few minutes at a time. You are not going to play a lengthy session of Forza as your arms would probably fall off in the process. By the same token you are not going to play a FPS like Halo or COD with this tech.

I'd not seen the much talked about lag before today but it can be clearly seen here via a clip from the Jimmy Fallon show aired in the USA. The Avatar used by Miranda is twitchy and the when she lands from a jump the Avatar is only just starting to jump on screen.

To be quite honest I remain very unconvinced by Kinect and generally see it as an attempt by Microsoft to win over some of the Wii user base and to make a bigger impression on the casual gamer market. Party games could be fun but I fear a mountain of shovelware is heading to the 360 in time for the Christmas holidays.

Kinect is available from 4th November 2010 and of course pricing is going to be crucial if this new motion sensing add-on is going to be what Microsoft hopes it will be. Many analysts suggest a price point around $149 which would put it at around £99 in the UK. Personally I think £79 is about right for the UK consumer however I'm still not sure I'd buy one.

Fallout New Vegas E3 2010 Trailer

2010-06-14T20:29:00.001+01:00

Well you just need to watch it. There is nothing more to say. Speechless and I can't wait for this

Fallout: New Vegas

2010-06-14T19:46:00.000+01:00

Another Bethesda game and another game that I'm uber excited about. Take a look at the teaser video. You have to admit it's looking very sweet. I might even book a day off from work to play this when it's released later this year. :D

Morrowind Really is an Epic

2010-06-14T19:31:00.000+01:00

So whilst I'm still on this I'm loving my original Xbox I'd like to mention another game that I've been playing for years called Morrowind. You might of heard of this epic role playing game. ;) Now then I've actually got the GOTY edition for PC as well and I've heavily modded it with the graphic extender, better bodies and better beasts mods. These mods really do enhance an already very playable game despite it being some 9 years old now for PC.

Character creation is fun and is done via a process of talking to a fellow ship passenger, a gaurd and an official of the government before you are released as a free member of society. As part of this process the player will choose a character name, race, class, and birthsign. These affect the player's starting attributes, skills, and abilities. You can also take the opportunity to answer a series of moral questions to determine the class of your character.

Morrowind is actually the third installment in the series and takes place on the island of Vvardenfell which is a district in the Dunmeri province of Morrowind. The province of Morrowind lies in the empire of Tamriel and the central quests are concerned with a Deity know as Dagoth Ur. This Deity is concerned with gaining power and using it to break Morrowind free from Imperial rule. Though this is the central plot, the game does have a very open-ended style of gameplay and it is really up to the player when and if they even start the main plot of the game. There really is a lot to do, guilds to join and side quests to embark upon. There is a lot to see and places to go and once you are in, this game will consume hundreds of hours of your life very easily.

If you have not played this then this is another that you should. Have a talk to yourself and then get searching for this simply wonderful RPG.

Mars Calling!

2010-06-12T12:26:00.001+01:00

The big red planet has quite a pull and it seems that I have responded to a faint signal from the dig site.

I couldn't resist playing Resurrection of Evil. I want more Doom 3 gameplay and this is proving to be exactly that. More of the same! It's just fantastic. Nothing more and nothing less. Great to look at and great to play. Sure there is some predictability but things still go bump and make you jump. The Doom formula hasn't got old as far as I'm concerned. I'm amazed again at how good this looks more than 5 years after it's release. There is a little more variety in the environments and there are new weapons to shoot. I'm loving the HL2 style grabber / gravity gun thing ok so it's almost lifted straight of HL2 but hey I'm not complaining. It's a good thing there are new guns to shoot because the enemies you'll be shooting at have been upgraded a little and many of them seem much tougher than before.

Of course most of the world has played this but if like me you happened to be in another realm or dimension when this hit the retail shelves then don't worry as ebay will be your friend.... So what are you waiting for? Go get this and play it even if you have played it before.... play it again!

Ok I've got to go... I'm 5 years late. ;)

Just joined raptr.com

2010-06-07T21:58:00.000+01:00

Join and add me at raptr.com :D

I think I'm a Clone Now!

2010-06-03T21:03:00.001+01:00

OK so I'm continuing my original Xbox lovin and started another game I've had sat around gathering dust in the yet to play pile. The game I'm talking about is Star Wars: Republic Commando.

Check out the trailer and you have to agree it looks pretty cool. :D

So my new name is 38 now and I'm in command of Delta Squad (is it me or is it always Delta Squad you get to command in these games?) There are three other commandos of Delta and they are also numbered. They are: 07, 40, and 62. All the members seem to have different specialities and each of them performs their role but so far though this all seems to be a little tacked on to me but I'm only an hour or so in at the moment. However at the moment I see no reason for the Squad or the roles. 38 could do more.... perhaps! We will see if I change my mind I guess.

Doom 3 Has Been Beaten!

2010-06-03T19:07:00.001+01:00

So I have finally completed Doom 3 on the Xbox for the first time. Yes I know it's what.... 5 years old now but there are many distractions in the gaming world. Anyway if you are one of those people who has not played this game then you should. I mean you really should. I know it's old but I make no apologies for talking about it. I actually had a great time with this from start to finish. The graphics even now are good. OK not 360HD but they are still pleasing to the eye at all times. The enemies you face are wonderfully animated and detailed and things often go bump in the dark.

I am actually impressed by the technology that drives this game. The engine is fabulous and it is impressive that it runs as it does with no noticable slow down in frame rate on a PIII driven Xbox console. Makes me wonder what other games I've missed for Xbox. I guess Ebay will be my friend as I ponder this.

If you had to compile a list of the top 10 game franchises of all time. Doom would be near the top and quite rightly so. Doom helped push the FPS forward and so deserves a place in the hall of fame.

If you pick up the Collectors Edition there is also a bonus on the disc which is Doom 2 and Ultimate Doom in all their retro glory :D

Currently playing Doom 3 (again)

2010-06-01T20:11:00.000+01:00

Currently giving my original Xbox some love so I'm playing through Doom 3 again right now. Doom 3 is extremely impressive from a technical point of view and really does make full use of the Xbox hardware, although it is arguably a little simplistic in gameplay it does look fantastic and is very much a frantic experience (especially on higher difficulty levels)

Anyway I'm sure everybody knows what Doom is so I'm not going to waffle but if you don't then this video should make you want to play it :D

Wasn't that just completely awesome? So what other games should people be playing on the Original Xbox either for the first time or again and again?

Alpha Protocol Should of Been Cancelled (Apparently)

2010-06-01T19:28:00.001+01:00

Found this whilst browsing some of my favourite sites. Seems an unamed member of the development team is in agreement with the mediocre reviews that Alpha Protocol has been getting. Not sure if this can be trusted but here is the article at C&VG Read Article

Still even if not true I am so glad I waited until the 2pm embargo on reviews now. I was almost taken in by the SEGA marketing machine. It's a game to pick up when it's in the sales I think.

However Obsidian are working on Fallout New Vegas. I just hope Bethesda keep a close eye on them as it would be tragic if FNV was to fail.

2010-05-27T18:33:00.000+01:00

So this is the first post in this blog thing. Wahooo! Hello to the world. :)