Gloreous True 3D-S

Picking up my Nintendo 3DS for the first time I felt like a little child on the night before Christmas. It was a simple yet adventurous feeling with more then a little trepidation. I’d just spent £200.00 on a new console that might not be as great as I first though. In all honestly if I realistically look at it I’d spent all that money just to play Ocarina of Time in 3D.

I opened the box as carefully as I could to ensure that my enthusiasm would not wane too quickly. I assessed the instruction manual and several other packaged goodies before I even unwrapped the console itself.

My girlfriend could no doubt explain what an overexcited puppy I was at the time – smiling uncontrollably as I lifted the shinny blue hardware from its cardboard casing. I glided my hands over the smooth surface and felt my heart drop a little as I realised how easily this new part of my life picked up finger prints and dirty marks. I took a moment to clean my hands and returned almost as joyously to continue my delicate operation.

The box contained my first set of Augmented Reality Cards and a solid charging dock which was almost as exciting as the console itself.

As I packaged all the documentation back together in the original box I held my new device ready to push the power button. I pressed it but nothing seemed to happen. Another wave of emotion crashed over me – what if it's broken already?

Luckily all my worries were lifted as the little power light shone red and after a few seconds the start up screen displayed itself. The simplistic beauty shone into my big brown eyes as I gathered as much information as possible.

The user interface popped up. My first impressions made me think the 3D was not that great afterall. Suddenly I remembered that the 3D function was an ability of the console and not the standard setting – I flicked the switch during setup and all was good again.

I sat back admiring the next generation of gaming and looked into the powerful specification I held in my hands. I explored the various functions – the 3D camera (which really is wonderful), the AR game setting, the 3DStore (my name not Nintendo’s) and the various tweaks that my DSLite could not even comprehend.

                                  

My heart almost skipped a beat when I put the first 3D game into the DS but that’s for another time…..

Has anyone got any good tips for usage or recommendation for games?

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Remakes

With the 3DS remake of Orcarina of Time Nintendo seem have created one of the most complete retelling's of all time. However some people have said that the lack of new additions is a poor move to stop previous players buying the 3DS instalment. I don't own a 3DS but I'd like to and I'd probably be straight back in the queue buying his after too. 

I've played Zelda multiple time not just on the original N64 version of this but also the Master Quest and Majora's Mask. I always thought Orcarina was the best incarnation of the series and I'll stick by this through anything. I've played the full game through several times and this has not discouraged me from buying the console purely for Zelda. I might purchase in a few months when some other great games hit the shelves (namely Starfox) but Zelda has really grabbed my attention and proved to me that Nintendo are serious about their new handheld.

This got be thinking about other games I'd love to see remade and I've listed a few below for your opinions.

Desert Strike:

Those of you too young to know this game should find a an old Sega Mega Drive and play this now. I still dream of the small gunner you kill and the bases you destroy. At the time this really delivered something different with a large scope for content.

Road Rash:

Another one from the Sega Mega Drive collection. This was an epic racer that switched good driving with violence. I use to love whipping people off their bikes and ride off into the sunset in Sega's heyday. Dropping someone into a wall or over the top explosive barrels would still be a great laugh.

Majora's Mask:

Surely it's one the next Zelda's to release on the 3DS....

Do you agree with my selections? What do you think would be a great remake?

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E3 2011

The Xbox community has a lot to look forward to over the next year or so. E3 once again produced an outstanding line-up of games for the 360 with several surprise additions. Microsoft pulled out all the stops to show us what we should get excited about and competed against other fantastic titles for alternative platforms and even the next generation of gaming.

Mouth Fart

The Nintendo Corporation released the first images of it's now home console - the WiiU. They are determined not to fall behind in the next generation battle and welcome in motion tablet controller. Alongside this revelation occurred issues where certain websites posted stories explaining that Crytek had confirmed that Microsoft were also developing a new console. Fortunately or not these rumours have now been vanquished by various press statements. Whatever people believe the future looks bright and even if Microsoft are in the final stages of the 360 life cycle they are making sure we go out with a bang.

E3 showed a large selection of Kinect based games from Star Wars to the second instalment of Kinect Sports. Both supplied a much more refined experience but hardcore games once again got overlooked. Most developers are looking at additional Kinect Support as well though with Bioshocks Mass Effect 3 leading the charge. Unfortunately though the Bioware trilogy will now end during 2012 and miss this years holiday season.

Of course RPG fans can look out for Skyrim from Bethesda which I have previously spoken about. This looks to follow in the footsteps of previous offerings and offers open world fantasy gaming. The series has gathered a fond following and with a 11^th November release date should be in a lot of Christmas Stockings.

This follows the finale of the Gears of War sage which has recently finished in game beta test. Results have allowed Epic Games to tweak weapon damages, game modifiers and all other manner of balancing issue ahead of it's September release. This can only mean one thing for gamers and really shows the capability of today's gaming world.

There will also be the yearly outings from EA with Fifa, Madden and NBA. These have been getting a lot of coverage and always sell well upon release. A lot of the gaming dynamics have been improved since last year to allow the player freedom.

We will also then one of the largest showdowns of recent history when Battlefield 3 goes head-to-head with Modern Warfare 3. Both have a large group of followers and top many most wanted lists. I've always been a massive fan of both series and look forward to giving them a go.

At E3 Microsoft game us a surprise with the announcement of Halo 4 alongside the heavily anticipated anniversary edition. This was many a fans wet dream and although we haven't seen any gameplay from the forth game people are already bursting at the seams. We finally find out what Master Chief has been doing.

mmm Covenant Coffee

We will also see new follow ups like Batman: Arkham City and Deux Ex Human Revolutions as well as a new Final Fantasy XIII game from Square Enix.

Is there anything you are looking forward to? Sound off in the comment section below and let us know what to keep our eyes on....

 [edit] - Toying the pictures.... don't mind me.

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Storytelling

Storytelling is a massive part of the current video games world. Some games have a compelling story with almost zero gameplay style while others have brilliant gameplay and no direction outlining the actions of the player. Several developers have given their reasons for this recently giving interviews to IGN and it all seems to boil down to one point - story lines have to connect to the player on a personal level for them to become invested in the character/s struggle. The issue with this and the future of gaming is how we differentiate between direct story driven consequences and the opinions of the player. Will we be playing linear games with high production costs to progress players by following set pieces or will we play complex stories with a variety of story progression options. This will mainly come down to the development team behind each game or the structure of the game itself and we certainly have an interesting time ahead.

Video games as a medium are coming into their own now; more people play and therefore more people buy. Some of those more casual players want their hands held throughout the entire experience whereas the hardcore players want a storyline involved but the freedom to explore whenever and wherever they want. Developers have an idea about our individual personal emotions but they can never account for everyone. They have to work out how invested their players are at each story development point and progress accordinly. This allows them to continue in the desired direction and also hold the players attention if not drive them to continue playing more.

As video games have progressed the developers have brought up further ideas and ways to keep pushing the medium forward. People are becoming as invested in their games as they are with books and even films. The set pieces in some of the AAA developed games almost come straight from a blockbuster movie; just look at Modern Warfare.

Linear games crop up in all shapes and sizes; Gears of War, Halo and many other shooters of the current generation follow a completely set out storyline where personal decisions never really count. You know the objective and your character follows the path set out in front of them. In certain games this 'set piece' driven drama is worked almost to an artistic level - Crysis 2 springs to mind. In comparison La Noire was portraid as a deep game with hundreds of decision options but the outcome always stays the same.

No matter how many times you play something like Mass Effect though the story always drives you in a different direction. Quests you don't pursue or even find in previous playthroughs change your endgame. Even Mass Effect though ends with the same finale. Oblivion is another piece of completely open world play. Almost as soon as you put the game in your console you are free to do your own bidding. Completing the Main Quest though always end with the same confrontation. Other games have tried altering the finale - Dragon Age and Bioshock and with many varying levels of success.

Overall these differences in game style do not always affect the choices we have when purchasing. Certain genres, characters or settings do this for us but either way the new innovations in gameplay mechanics is sure to make the next few years very exciting.

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The Elder Scrolls Updates

Skyrim is shaping up to be another ground breaking RPG from Bethesda Softworks. We are now only 5 months away from the next edition of the the Elder Scrolls, the renowned open world of Tamriel is ready to be explored again. The very first Elder Scrolls game, Arena, came out on the PC in 1994 and since then there have been 14 different incarnations of the series.

Like the previous games, Skyrim is all about taking your personalised character through a series of story driven quests; finding loot, abilities, fighting monsters and more. The game is played in either first or third person both with various different gameplay styles. Some people swear by one way, while others prefer the alternative.

Skyrim includes many changes to the game style with certain gameplay statistics removed while others added. Many of the more in depth characteristics like Athletics and Acrobatics have been sections under a broader category. To some this seems like a water down system but the development team have confirmed that this will not decease the variety of character outcomes.

You still get to pick from one of 10 fantasy races, customizing your physical appearance, selecting a gender and personalising your starting abilities. To progress in game you will need to embark on various quests to gain experience and improving your characters attributes. Abilities also level up much like Oblivion so if you use your Short Sword enough you will become more accomplished at one-handed attacks. A Fallout 3 style 'Perks' system has also been implemented to increase the diversity of characters; one may allow you to hold more loot while another may give you the ability of night vision.

The menu system has also been updated giving us the ability to zoom in on all equipment and items. This really shows the level of details added into everything in the game world – you can actually read the books too. The character statistics screen has also been improved with a Night Sky skill tree system being added.

The new world map is around the same size as the previous instalment; which is approximately 7 square miles. The huge game-world is populated with various dungeons, monsters, ruins and wildlife. There will be over 100 unique dungeons too so you'll never feel like they are repeating on you. Skyrim will also feature a much more diverse countryside with snowy mountains, large tundras and think forests. There will again be 5 major towns with further settlements dotted around the map for you to visit.

If you've been reading the previews Bethesda have also included Dragons. That's right the fire-breathing, flying giants will be appearing at random in Skyrim. If they spot you they will veer down in your direction taking bites and basically attempting to ruin your day. Even in town you won't be safe. Sometimes your best option can be to run and hide in a dungeon, other times it's best to go for the kill. Slaying a dragon allows you to absorb it's soul for various different skills - referred to as Dragon Shouts. There isn't a finite number of these beasts and they are really suppose to test all your skills.

Skyrim will encourage exploring with many hours of questing off the beaten track. Beautiful vistas will be ever present and the land littered with in game events and characters with a great deal of depth. Some villagers chop wood, some create weapons and others interact with one another. When you start a conversation or overhear chatter there is always a chance that something interesting can come of it.

Another new game feature is the radiant game story. This takes into account previous variables in the gameplay. If a certain cave system has not been discovered or certain NPC's kille,d then the game may base a new mission around certain criteria to push you into uncharted terretory. It has been said that these are very diverse and intend to enable to user to have a very unique experience during each play-through.

Did I mention it looks absolutely stunning??

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Mass Effect

The revolution of RPG's began with Bioware - the Canadian videos game developer who have brought us classics the likes of Baldurs Gate, Dragon Age and Neverwinter Nights. These guys certainly don't mind trying anything new and this time it's time for the second chapter in Commander Shepherds futuristic trilogy. The series has given new life to sequels with the idea that decision makes an impact in the future entries.

The Mass Effect games are very story-driven; facing you up against intergalactic war, large security companies and even species extinction. I would highly recommend picking these up right from the first intalment. There really is so much depth added to the story from your critical plot decisions that the further instalments genuinely feel personally made. Don't worry though if you lost your save or are playing this game without having played the first (again a dumb thing to do ) then don't worry because the character creation is extremely in-depth ( you can choose to be male or female by the way ) and the critical plot decisions from the first game will be assigned to your character randomly.

The game is played through a Commander Shepherd a Spectre who captains the Normandy ( your giant spaceship). Everything goes to hell and you sacrifice yourself to save Joker ( voiced by Seth Green ). The game takes place in the year 2183, where Shepherd, who sets out to explore the Galaxy gets caught up in huge intergalactic conflicts. The title Mass Effect is a form of technology allowing for faster-than-light travel which sends the Normany across to the furthers reaches of the galaxy.

Shepherd has been sent to the human colony world of Eden Prime to recover an unearthed Prothean beacon but things quickly spiral out of control. As the story progresses you meet and obtain crew mates to assist you on your missions. These take place across a vast array of worlds from snow covers ice giants, to beautiful jungle paradises and huge civilised space stations. Each locations has many different quests to really give you an idea of the universe these games are set in. Different cultures and character dynamics have been probably implements to really immerse the players.

You pick one of six different classes at the start of the game or continue playing as the class you were in previous games. If you want your imported character to specialize in a different class you can change it though too. Each class is very unique with different sets of abilities and progression options. Whether you specialize in biotics, guns, engineering or something else, game-play will feel unique and refreshing on each play-through.

Combat takes place in real time using both guns that range from powerful mini nukes and alien technology to biotics like Warp or Push. Combat is dynamic and the AI is reasonably good – at times it can be great. The system does struggle in some areas and characters have been known to leave cover and run at you like crazed maniacs from quite some distance. Certain differences apply to each instalment of the game but these are very easy to adjust to.

During conversations in game a radial command menu; divided into six equal sections like a pie chart, is shown at the bottom of the screen. Each section is assigned a brief description of the response's, usually a short phrase such as "What's going on?". This allows the player to process their own feels towards each character and can develop certain stories in many different ways. Save someone and they may come back later to help you our or give you some reward. Kill that same person and their family or friends could seek revenge. The world of Mass Effect is really exceptionally immersive.

Paragon choices and Renegade choices are a staple part of these games and correspond with the good/evil decisions your character makes. If you have enough Paragon or Renegade points you can choose different dialogue options and in return receive more points again. The only issue I found with this is that it actually holds you back from playing a straight down the line character. Playing both sides of the coin will actually decease your storyline options and in some case stop certain story-lines all together. Making some of these decisions can be very tough because even the smallest of characters are like-able. When the time to make a big decision comes do not be surprised if you find yourself staring at your dialogue choices for a minute or two. Sometimes you will see a choice that sounds friendly but turns out to be a renegade action. This issue became non-existent once I realized that the top choice was always good, the middle choice was always neutral, and the bottom choice was always a renegade choice. Overall the Dialogue and character interaction shines bright all the way through.

This games do have a few glitches in them and in some areas my game did freeze. Another time an enemy got stuck in a wall and became impossible to kill. The games are so long though that these are very few and far between.

The amount of details in this universe is amazing, each character looks individual and the character facial expressions are very impressive. The whole experience is fluid and the voice acting is wonderful. It really is breathtaking and makes you want to explore the world even more. It runs fine technically too although the load times can drag.

Each game takes around 25-30 hours to complete with even more time available in side quests. That does even include the storyline re-playability with both paragon/renegade playthroughs and the different classes. There is also downloadable content available for both installments so once the games have been beaten there is even more reason to return.

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So it's official......

During my early years, my television consumption consisted of He-man & Power Rangers whith a little bit of the Looney Toons. My teenage years mainly of Video Games and a time to prove my poor decision making techniques. The obsession I had/have with Final Fantasy 7 probably consumed so much of my life that I have given up ever realistically choosing another pastime so enthusiastically.

Sadly, my love affair with the Final Fantasy turned me into somewhat of a cheat when it came to my video game collection. I lost many an evening to Perfect Dark's bot arenas and collecting coins in Sonic and Mario. I even delved in so far as thinking my own era for gaming was too late. I love the classic Commodore 64's and the Game and Watch collection. I satisfied my nights with beating the Elite Four and summoning Ifrit. I still think Daggerfell is a genius creation and one any Elder Scrolls fan should definitely seek. I have now given into this temptation somewhat and decided to give my writing skills a go once again - here obviously!


Bring forth the great WiiU and the next incarnation of gaming I'm coming to see you - Gamescon 2011 - I'll be there and so should you!

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