The random musings of a cat and his video games.

• 16Jan 10

  Importing, games, and Playstation.

  Hi all

  In a wierd twist, I have decided to go with a suggestion made many moons ago that I may want to consider buying one game a month and one piece of DLC a month (either map/quest packs etc or games like Flower, Braid etc).

  I decided to do this as I found I was getting myself frustrated over deciding whether or not to buy games. This was becasuse I felt on one hand I had games so why get more as it was a waste of money having titles sat there unplayed, but on the other hand not getting any ment I was missing out on titles I really wanted.

  So a compramise was found.

  This months buy is Demon Souls on Playstation 3. I am very supprised at my decision as I was thinking of getting into PC gaming but then had a change of heart and went with a new PS3 game to show it the love it deserves (I had not got a new game for it since Uncharted 2 came out and pretty much had not played it much since I completed Uncharted 2).

  That leads to my first part:

  Importing is something I have not done before so Demon Souls will be my first import game. I have got a couple of Gameboy games from my local game shop until it closed down (Pokemon Gold and Silver) however this will be the first time I actually get a game from a different country. I decided to get Demon Souls after listening to a friend of mine who absaloutly loves this game as well as the Gamespot Hotspot podcast which really made the game sound top notch which is what I want from now on.

  If all works well I may get into importing titles a bit more. This leads to my second point:

  Games... argh too many coming out!

  With next month in mind for things to look into, I am a bit supprised by the ammount of titles I will be looking at. From releases and older titles I have in mind Bioshock 2, Battlefield Bad Company 2. and God of War Collection. This will be a tough call as all three are games I think I would like.

  For Bioshock 2 I have thought about whether it really is a game needed as I played the first game and loved it and compelted it. But thats it, I have not really returned to the game since then as it felt like it was wrapped up quite well at the end and the sequal feels a bit of a "lets make moneys from this game". However that said I have been listening to a podcast which made me feel like this game could be worth playing as it sounds like it shares similar ideas from the first game.

  For Battlefield Bad Company 2 I had the idea of playing the singple player more. I loved the story in the first game, it was a good balance of humour and some serious sides. My concern is that the new game may not really focus on a story as well as there is little information about it. Multiplayer is another area of concern as with MAG due so soon, I may favour that more for multiplayer gaming as I quite liked the BETA and sniping felt good which is unsual as I like to use that character type but newer games feel like they try to stop you using them.

  God of War collection would be another import for probably around the same cost as one of the above games. However I do feel its two new games to play (as I have not played either before).

  Then don't get me started for after that, as Final Fantasy XIII and White Knight Chronicles appear, man it will be a tough month. However I will want to stick with my one game policy so I actually play and enjoy the titles and can wait for the rest to get cheaper and see if they are worth picking up longer term.

  For what I have been playing, it has been mainly Playstation 3 titles such as Dead Space, Metal Gear Solid 4, and LittleBigPlanet. The PS3 has been getting its love from me and I feel it deserves it, I dont know what it is but something has clicked with it with me and I am really enjoying it now.

  Anyway, I look forward to feedback.

  • Posted Jan 16, 2010 2:20 pm GMT
  • Category: Opinion
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• 2Jan 10

  January 2010 blog

  January Blog
  
  Hey all. I would like to start of with hoping you all are having a happy new year so far and hope those who follow it have made their resolutions.
  
  
  Forza Motorsport 3 impressions
  
  This game has impressed me a lot since getting it out of the box. I was supprised to see a change in quality of the graphics from the demo version. Now I am not sure what it is but the graphics look a lot smoother and more improved in photo realism terms than the demo did which was very comparable to Forza Motorsport 2 I felt. The career mode so far has been very good, I have already compelted season 1 and am working on season 2 as I write this.
  
  In terms of what happens, you select a car at the start of the career mode (rather than selecting a region like Forza 2) and you get entered into your first race series (they have lasted between 3 and 4 circuit races so far). From this you gain experience for your driver level and car level, Both of these levels affect you by unlocking additional cars and part discounts from car manufacturers which is very nice. I am finding this a bit more rewarding to play as the achievments feel better paced and also there is more competition in the field I feel like. The AI wont let you just push past, they will push you back, cover their lines and it just feels a more racing game than I have felt in some time.
  
  In terms of online content, there are plenty of dlc packs to get you going as well as actual racing. I have only downloaded the free content so far but am enjoying what I have got through that. There is also the new store front which is where you and budding Forza 3 enthusiasts put your tune options, decals, car paint schemes, photos, and video replays. I have been very impressed with this and have bought a few free and charged items such as real life sponsor logos to try and make the cars feel more like touring cars (like the BTCC). There is also the usual auction house where you can buy other players cars which works a bit like ebay with a bid or buy it now option. This seems to reward those who sit it out to the end like eBay as well to my loss at times
  
  Overall this game has refreshed my racing game spirit, I dont see myself buying loads of racing games like the past but I can see myself spending more time on the ones I do get thanks to Forza 3.
  
  
  Games to look forward to in 2010
  
  Mass Effect 2 - 50/50 - I am not sure whether I will get this or not, I really need to start playing the first game but the new one sounds up my street with a darker story and a more fps involved game according to the developers.
  
  Bioshock 2- most likely I will get this as the first game was one of the first Xbox 360 games I completed.
  
  Formula One 2010- 50/50- this depends on how the game looks from reviews, if they make a completly arcade racing game my interest in this will wain but if they have simulation options, realistic race events, then I am more likely to get this.
  
  Those are all I can think of off the top of my head but I am sure more will be added over time.
  
  
  Films/shows I have been watching
  
  Well I have been mainly watching TV shows recently. I have been enjoying watching Lost Season 5, Smallville, Friends and a lot of the E4 stuff at home. I also watched Yes Man the film which I felt was a great movie for feel good fans. It has taught me some things on opening my mind to new ideas and perhaps how I am with my friends.
  
  I hope to see the Borat and Bruno films at some point and continue to look around for new TV shows and films to see. I am trying to get into House but the blood really puts me off at the moment!
  
  Anyway thanks for reading.
  
  If you have made any resolutions for the new year I would like to hear them and anything like what gifts you got for Christmas if you celebrate it, what games you are looking forward to, and what films you have been moved by.
  
  Thanks

  • Posted Jan 2, 2010 2:43 pm GMT
  • Category: Opinion
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• 5Dec 09

  Left 4 Dead 2 - the first few hours

  Left 4 Dead 2 - the first few hours
  
  After a sudden switch in decison from Dragon Age Online to Left 4 Dead 2 for my next game purchase, I am happy to say it was a good choice (though I plan on getting Dragon Age at some point still). My first play on the game involved playing through the first chapter/campaign on single player. This was an interesting affair as I found on normal I was running out of health packs quickly and also the AI seemed shocking. At times it will help you and other times it drags behind taking out every single enemie. Now thats pretty good but when you are having to rush due to low health and respawning enemies and your team mates do nothing it starts to get frustrating.
  
  I managed to get to the rollercoaster with the AI for those who have played the game. Overall I was left with mixed feelings, whilst it felt an improvment on the first game, I felt the AI was not up to scratch and lack of checkpoints and health packs made the game more challenging but rewarding at the same time. The next day I finally got online (not due to lack of players, due to lack of internet connection where I was playing on the xbox). When putting this online the game felt alive all of a sudden, having other people who know what to do is great but having people who wont help you is a pain in the backside. I managed to get online with a friend though by pure chance as I was not aware he had the game until it came up friend playing game at loading. We had a blast doing achievments and even managed to rescue a certain gnome so I am happily sporting a pink t-shirt award (which the game gives for avatar awards, such as X ammount of zombies killed, story completion to more challenging things like carrying a gnome through 3 chapters). Versus also was an interesting experience, the game rotates which type of zombie you are each time you die to keep you on your toes. Again with this mode you need to have good planning and communication with your team.
  
  So far this has been a great game with a few problems such as checkpoint issues and health packs being too spread out. However if you have friends with this and can play online, its a blast, but if you only want to do single player, you will have to really consider the AI issues before choosing. If you have any questions let me know, this is purely a first impressions blog and not a review.
  
  Also for those interested, the "Hey Ash What are you playing- Left 4 Dead" video got me interested in Left 4 Dead 2, man the music was catchy on it.

  Acitivity note:

  I have decided to not post for a while at the unions and main boards. I am getting fed up of the silly arguments and random flame comments that are intended to make people upset and what not. I am not sure if I will return to any of the unions as really I just want to game more. However I am planning to do blogs more frequently on the games I have been playing and what I think of them. I may post from time to time but chances are its going to be much less frequent. I am sorry to those who are at the unions who did a good effort and were friendly but there is a trend of the anamosity of the internet turning peoples comments more and more extreme and silly which just stops me wanting to post due to just not caring anymore.

  • Posted Dec 5, 2009 11:20 am GMT
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