New Destiny Retail Details

What will we explore in the new Bungie adventure?

Why Am I A Console Game?

[Short Answer] I hate you PC Folk

The Continual Problems with Battlefield 4

Why the DICE multiplayer needs another tweak...

Six Months with Microsoft Next Gen Hardware

Games Console or Entertainment System?

The Best DLC Money Can Buy

Does it have Zombies, Burials or Dragons.....?

Wednesday 27 July 2011

I AM LEGEND - Pt 4 Music

Defined Legends
There are many musicians out there who we define as legends. Of course there will always be ‘The King of Rock and Roll’, Elvis, but also other greats like Patsy Cline and Jimi Hendrix. To be honest the list of definite music based legends is as long as a piece of string. We have seen great bands like the Beetles, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd but also great solo artists too. The likes of Barry White, Frank Sinatra and Ray Charles are amount the most successful musicians ever and who will continue to be recognised for years and years to come.

When looking at the legends of music you should even go back and think of people like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Samuel Barber even just for his brilliant work ‘Adagio for Strings’.

Others:
Janice Joplin
Stevie Wonder
Bob Marley

Circle Legends
Although there are many musicians that have timeless musical influence they don’t always hold up as legend as they may have only been around for a short time or had a less culturally successful history. The likes of Dolly Parton, Chuck Berry and even Whitesnake spring to mind. These were all exceptionally successful musicians in their own right but they just don’t cut it next to Elvis or the Beetles.

I think that circle legends are going to become a much more common place in the next few years as music has become a much more diverse and popular medium then ever before. The music seen produces a plethora of different talent but only those with a large record industry and millions of pounds in advertising get recognised as household names.

Others:
Tupac Skahur
Nirvana
The Grateful Dead

Future Legends
I have found that looking for the future legends in music is the hardest section for me to decide on. I’m not sure if this is down to my personal opinion of the industry or whether this is because I have different views of the current music scene than the majority of the general public.

I look at the commercial artists that are released today and don’t often think of them as musicians in their own right. When you look at a popular artist like Rihanna you may think she’ll be remembered for her catchy songs and repetitive choruses but they are never actually ‘her’ songs. So many people (especially in the world of popular music) have been raised for commercial success by a massive background of management and advertising campaigns – they very rarely play/release their own music.

The other thing about music today is that a band can be the biggest thing in the industry one year only to drop off the face of the earth the next, the Arctic Monkey’s are probably the best example of this.

This is a sorry state of affairs for the current climate and if the legends of yesteryear could see the music industry today they’d probably have a few things to say.

It’s difficult to pinpoint anyone to become a musical legend but Amy Winehouse and her contribution to Jazz could ensure that she is listened to for many generations to come. The tragedy of her death last weekend may overshadow how much she actually achieved but I certainly hope that’s not the case.

Other artists that spring to mind are Take That, or Robbie Williams to be exact, Kylie Minogue and Madonna. It’s very difficult to pick a full band that would also be categorised as a possible future Legend. I suppose you could state a case for the Foo Fighters, Metallica, Green Day or possibly even Blink 182 but none of these have the same following as a band like The Who.

Others:
Beyonce
Eminem
Muse

Tuesday 26 July 2011

I AM LEGEND - Pt 3 Television

Defined Legends
Obviously when you look at legendary TV shows you think of shows like Fawlty Towers, Twin Peaks and Knight Rider. These have all been watched on countless occasions by many millions of people and will definitely continue to be watch by many millions more.

It’s almost unbelievable when someone says they have never heard of Fawlty Towers. Think about it? Wouldn’t it surprise you if you partner sat down next to you one night as Basil did his thing only to ask what it is you were watching? I’d have to say I’d be shocked. Did you also know that there were only ever 12 episodes of Fawlty Towers and they are still shown on TV every day? This really is a great show and one that it would be very hard to replicate for it’s popularity now. It will always make the masses laugh and I look forward to introducing my children to Manuel. It amazes me to think how many times I must have seen each episode and still don’t change the channel when they come on.

There are many other great shows that hold the same cult followings as the greatest movie sagas or the brilliance of any musician. It pains me to say it but even a lot of the current soaps would fall into this category too. The likes of Eastenders, Coronation Street and even Neighbours have been going now for a number of decades and don’t look like letting up anytime soon. These are very high in the longest running TV series of all time. In fact if my kids aren’t watching the next generation of the Mitchell’s then I’d be very surprised.

Others:
Only Fools and Horses
Rainbow
Doctor Who

Circle Legends
Next to these great TV shows are a countless number of others known by many but only appreciated by some. You could say that something like Baywatch is legendary for the sheer population that tuned in ever Saturday night. They have countless merchandise sales even now and people still quote their lines and sing the theme song. As long as David Hasslehoff continues his popularity we will hear more and more about this show.

Others include the game shows like Crystal Maze or Gladiators which are respected TV history in certain circles. There have been a selection of greats over the decades but this is a much more diverse media type and many shows die off as quickly as they arrived.

Others:
Million Dollar Man
Lassie
Columbo

Possible Future Legends
When thinking about current TV series it’s hard to choose which ones our children will appreciate or those that can be watched again and again. I suppose the biggest series of recent time is Lost but would this still hold up after several viewings. I’d have to say I’m not too sure. Yes the series is great, but the whole reason this was such a success is the mystery surrounding the whole experience. Most of the questions have now been answered and the ending spoilt for those who didn’t keep up.

Another might be the Sopranos. This brilliant drama about a Mafia family is some of the most compulsive viewing in recent memory. I’d be surprised if this series is not fed down the generations as a true classic. Personally I’ve watched this series through a few times and have found it very entertaining on each occasion.

If you look towards the future we have a collection of great TV shows that could also hit the high life. A Game of Thrones in particular has me gagging for more but whether the shows popularity is due to the TV show itself or the source material only time will tell.

Others:
X-Files
The Walking Dead
Mad Men

I AM LEGEND - Pt 2 Films

Defined Legends
The golden standard for films is to bring people back again and again, giving them enjoyment out of each and every viewing. This can be in the form of a series of films or from standalone projects. A legend in this industry as with any other is anything that holds up to the test of time and keeps generation after generation coming back for more.

A lot of films get almost fanatical followings; the likes of Star Wars and The Godfather springing to mind. These both have massive cult followings and will no doubt continue to do so for many years to come. Star Wars fans even attempted to get the fictional religion of ‘Jedi’ adopted but many English speaking countries.

The individuals that hold this crown are those like Titanic, Jurassic Park and 12 Angry Men. You could hardly argue with these as being some of the most ‘Legendary’ films of their time and those that will be remembered for generations to come.

Others:
Pulp Fiction
James Bond
Reservoir Dogs


Circle Legends
There are many fantastic films that have been released over the years that hold a strong following but are not quite as recognisable as others. These are still cinematic masterpieces but may not be as widely known as those listed above. The likes of The Matrix or Home Alone spring to mind as absolutely great films which are not everyone’s cup of tea. These may be great films in themselves or for the nostalgia they inspire but they will never have a cult following like Star Wars.

Other great films that populate this category are the Pirates of the Caribbean films which have already started to sport their own spin offs from the original saga. These are some of the highest grossing films of all time as a series and broke multiple records but will you see people dressing up as Captain Jack Sparrow at your children’s children’s fancy dress parties? I think this is quite unlikely; Jedi’s however will never go out of fashion.

Others:
Rear Window
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
Forest Gump


Possible Future Legends
There have been many great files of this generation with the likes of the new Batman series particularly vivid in my mind. In fact the whole trend of comic book adaptations recently have been reasonably well received. There have also been some great remakes too with King Kong in particular being a wonderfully entertaining movie.

Although these are very good films I don’t think any will stand the test of time like those greats previously listed. The only films that come close are of course the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. This epic film series has almost garnered a similar following to Star Wars with more people now reading the books and wishing they were Elves then ever. This is probably the most likely film series of the last few decade that comes within reaching distance of one day holding ‘Legendary’ status.

The only film single film I can think of that comes close to this is Avatar. I’m still not sure though if this film would have been anything special if it hadn’t started the 3D movies of today. I really doubt Avatar would have held itself up had it not been for the way it was created.

Another film that I think might suffer is the Dark Knight. Before anyone sounds off with a strong comment they had been saving for this particular moment please give me chance to explain myself. The Dark Knight is a brilliant piece of work but the controversy surrounding its release may impact against it in a different way. The sad news of Heath Ledgers death had come only a short time before the movie hit our screens and the story was everywhere. Many people heard contorted stories relating to this tragedy and the movie itself and I think that moment tarnished the film a little and stopped people appreciating it for being an absolutely fantastic movie. I do think this deserves legendary status but I’m not sure it’ll ever be for the right reason – although I really hope I’m wrong.

There is always the possibility that the Avengers film or the Hobbit movies next year could also push themselves into the legendary category.

Others:
Inception
Black Swan
The Kings Speech

I AM LEGEND - Pt 1 Introduction

I had a conversation with my girlfriend recently about the real Legends of different media forms over the years and whether our current examples keep up with great of the passed. Whether it be video games like Pacman or musicians like Jimi Hendrix, Legends really do come in all shapes and sizes. A term like Legend means something is timeless and that their influence can be found in each generation and that their skills or talents will no doubt be appreciated by many more.

A personal legend is found in certain moments like when you listen to a CD and realise that you like the same albums as your Dad; or even his Dad. A true Legend is appreciated by almost everyone, and not just a certain circle of people. I know that nothing is loved by absolutely everyone but as long as the majority of people recognise a talent then that’s good enough for me.

The best way to look at it is to decide what it’s like today? Does it play well? Does the story hold up? Does it still give you that nostalgic feeling? Or does that even matter?

Nostalgia wields a very strong influence over human memory and the smallest sensory stimulation – sights, sounds or smells – can not only give you vivid memories, but make us yearn to relive them. On top of this it's a feeling that, more often than not, will also cloud our judgment of whatever it is we're remembering. The great memories are always felt stronger then the bad ones. We can often be left with misguided feelings that things were once much better then they actually were.

At the moment there is big money in nostalgia too, as you can see through the vast array of old albums, movies, TV shows and video games being remade, re-released or remastered. Having fond memories of old times is all well and good, but making an effort to relive those memories often doesn't go according to plan. It’s difficult to talk about this in all forms of life as personal opinion has a huge influence on these effects. Take for example video games; you may have played something many times before but starting it decades later you always have the chance to discover that it hasn't aged well at all.

For the purpose of these articles I will assess some of the passed Legends of different media types, both respected and those from certain circles, as well as the possible Legends of the future. Obviously these are just my opinions but I think I’m getting close to the mark at least. I hope to find some of the present examples of media that I feel will hold up to the test of time.

Friday 22 July 2011

Points on Skyrim

I'm sure those of you who have been reading my blog over the passed few weeks have heard me mention Skyrim on more then one occasion. I think… no wait I know this is the most excited I’ve been for any game release ever. I usually tell myself not to get excited but as the release date gets closer I can’t help it. I was thinking earlier that when the first announcement reached me it was still over a year away. Now we only have just over 3 months left to wait for the 11th November 2011.

In continuation of my fascination with the Elder Scrolls I felt now was the time to give you a list of 40 great facts about Skyrim.

·   Players can now boost all their skills to level 100 but cannot obtain all perks
·   Each settlement will be unique
·   Quest Gives will provided different levels of information dependant on your standing with them
·   Players will be able to cook, woodcut, mine and blacksmith
·   Wind will effect the direction of water
·   Dragon encounters will not be game scripted events
·   One city will be dedicated to Dunmer
·   Taverns will allow players to overhear rumours, start quests and gather information
·   There will be a port city.
·   Equipment can be fully repaired
·   Various different colours, patterns and religious rituals will be created to differentiate each Nord faction.
·   Archers can hold their breath to boost accuracy
·   Planes of Oblivion involved in some Skyrim quests
·   Dark Brotherhood confirmed
·   You can knock oil lamps to the ground creating fire damage
·   Around 130 dungeons in the game
·   You start the game being led to your execution
·   Archery will incorporate elements created off Oblivion mods
·   Fish can jump out of the water
·   Over 100 subquests
·   No Spellmaking
·   75% of quests are dynamic through the Radiant system
·   NPC who are to do with the main quest are still unable to be killed.
·   Snow can accumulate
·   Dragons can crash when wounded
·   There is a cause and consequence for every quest
·   Some NPC’s will accompany you on quests to show you where to go
·   8 developers for dungeons in Skyrim with only 1 in Oblivion
·   There are boats in the game
·   The is not a limited number of Dragons
·   There is a clear ecosystem where Wolves hunt Mammoths and Foxes hunt Rabbit
·   No persuasion mini-game
·   All items are comparable in the inventory
·   You can buy an unspecified amount of houses
·   Limb damage has been confirmed
·   Over 20 Dragon Shouts with 3 different levels of each
·   Some dragon shouts can be combined
·   Finishing moves have been confirmed
·   No seasonal changes
·   There will be Dragons!

I did not compile this list on my own - BootySweat of the Bethesda Forums wrote many of these.

Is there anything you guys are most looking forward to in the next Elder Scrolls? Are you getting as excited as me?

Thursday 21 July 2011

The Next-Gen War

The next big console war is starting to shape up. The Wii U announcement at E3 and the possibilities of a new Xbox or Playstation have kept video gamers on their feet waiting for more information. Snippets of details have been found lately with concept designs and predicted specifications hitting various websites.

Eurogamer recently stated that they had been told that visuals on par with the Hollywood Blockbuster movie Avatar are a genuine possibility for the next generation of consoles. The claim was first made by graphics company AMD and is slowly being backed up by other video game developers.

Obviously a lot of this speculation is going to depend on when Microsoft and Sony decide to announce and launch their respective hardware but it has been noted that they should be around the level of DirectX 11.

In fact Crytek, the creators of the CryEngine 3, recently added Direct X 11 support to their PC version of first-person shooter Crysis 2. This has prompted several gaming sites to suggest that the new graphics are a glimpse into the next generation.

Crytek have also been rumoured to be making the fourth instalment in the Timesplitter franchise for Microsoft and Sony’s next console outings and reckons even better visuals are possible.

Earlier this year at GDC Epic Games released a tech demo of their hugely impressive Samaritan demo; this was designed to showcase the DirectX 11 capabilities on its Unreal Engine 3. The character displayed had impressive visuals from singular blades of hair to drips of sweat but the studio insisted this was only ever a cinematic experience and there was no game to go along with it.

Epic Game co-founder Mark rein recently told Eurogamer that “tomorrows console is today’s high end PC”.

While gamer tongues are wagging on the potential power of the next generation, developers are looking beyond the visual aspect. Its all well and good having graphics like Avatar but the whole package needs to be ramped up. You’ve got things like AI, multiplayer, integrated gaming communities and complete social experiences that all have an impact on the final development plans of each studio.

It has also been mentioned around the web that Microsoft’s unannounced console will allow developers to make every single NPC in an open world game such as Skyrim or Grand Theft Auto totally individual mentality so that they react to the player’s progress in completely diverse ways.

Many studios are finding the whole process of next-gen development a new set of issues. It’s one point getting the raw power to do these things but you have to be able to take advantage of it in a logical way.

Crytek think they have the solution with their in-house engine CryEngine 3, which they claim is already up to the task. This coupled with the benefit of having experience with the advanced PCs today; means the studio should be able to manage the next-gen transition better then many others.

There are reports circulating the Internet that explain to us that Microsoft is preparing to reveal the next Xbox at E3 2012. This has been backed up by a number of industry sources too. To coincide with is the rumour that the release of this console is planned for 2014 but this may now be brought forward to 2013 with Nintendo’s plan to launch the Wii U in 2012. In addition to this sources have indicated that the larger studios have already had target specs for the new console to help them start their development process.

Microsoft have refused to comment directly on the rumours of their next-gen plans, instead outlining the continued success of the Xbox 360. Last year Microsoft said that their hardware add-on Kinect would add five years onto the current console’s life cycle.

Are you pleased that a new console is likely just over the horizon? Have you heard any other rumours relating to the next console cycle? Please comment below with your feelings on this subject.

Wednesday 20 July 2011

This Is What You Wanted Right?

I don’t often write about my life as I can’t see people having that much of an interest in what I had for breakfast, watched on the TV or where I went for my last pint of Crabbies. I just don’t think it makes interesting reading. However, I have decided to post a little bit about my horrendous weekend today so you can all feel my pain.

A weekend of fun can quite quickly turn into a weekend of hell. This was in fact exactly what happened as my lazy, quiet few days turned upside down causing hassle and stress.

As one of my previous posts outlined I had been due to attend the Sussex against Surrey Cricket game in Hove on Friday evening. I had been looking forward to this event for quite some time now even though my knowledge of the sport itself is rather limited. My better half has had a passion for the game ever since I’ve known her and she’s spent many an hour explaining Over’s, LBW’s and the various differences in the game types to me. I’m basically in a position where I can watch a game and understand the basic principles of what is actually going on.

Anyway my days started as any other; work, lunch and more work before a colleague of mine, my girlfriend and I got ready to head for the venue. We were due to pick another friend of ours up on the way but between our limited knowledge of Hove and his lack of address information we soon found ourselves driving back and forth looking for some sign that we were going in the right direction.

Our driver had recently got himself a new BMW which until this specific day had been a reliable and comfortable car. This particular night though the four wheel beast now known as ‘Blade’ was having a bit of an off day. A combination of the busy roads, humid weather and constant stopping made sure Blade didn’t really perform to his usual best. Heading back on ourselves about 30 minutes before the match was due to start we noticed that the temperature gauge on the car was now ‘in the red’. Almost immediately the bonnet started to produce smoke and a few moments later we had pulled up in the high street with the bonnet open, smoke releasing up into the atmosphere, my friend wondering why we hadn’t picked him up yet and me running up the road to try and get some bottled water to cool it down.

The car took over 30 minutes to cool down. The friend we were suppose to taxi decided to walk to us in the end too (which would have saved a lot of hassle in the first place) and gave us our tickets so he could go to the ground and catch the beginning of the game. Being the great friends that we are my girlfriend and I decided that we would wait with the car as it would be rude to up run off and leave our friend worrying what to do on his own. After a few more minutes and the a decease in all of our excitement we realised that there were available parking spaces about 3 meters further up the road where we could have left the car to watch the Cricket.
We parked up and walked up to the Cricket expecting to go in a bit late and enjoy the rest of the game. Once we arrived though we decided to sell the tickets and drink in the local pub instead. We managed to sell one to a young child outside the venue who had been hoping to pick one up as the venue was initially sold out. After a couple of pints (cokes for the driver) we decided to venture home with two tickets sold, beer filled stomachs, slightly worrying about our journey back. The drive itself wasn’t too bad but consisted of another breakdown. This time we ventured to McDonalds in the hope that the time it took to eat a happy meal would allow the car to cool down enough to continue onwards.

Luckily we got back safe and sound without watching a minute of the Cricket and instead filling our evening with car fumes, waiting on the side of the road, beer and fast food.

My Saturday didn’t get much better either. After a trip to town for some shopping in the rain resulted in both me and my girlfriend forgetting our respective sets of keys. This ended with us waiting outside our house in the rain for the hope that her landlord would be returning home soon. Luckily her neighbour took us in from the cold for a cup of coffee before setting us back out on our way. Fortunately we were only locked out for a couple of hours but even so this certainly put another dent in our lazy weekend plans.

All in all conclusions from this weekend were:

§   Do not give lifts to friends who do not know where they are
§   These friends will only get angry and leave you when you don’t turn up on time
§   Young children stuck outside sports venues looking for tickets deserve your generosity
§   BMW’s are unreliable
§   McDonalds always seems like a great idea until you eat it
§   You should always check you have your keys on rainy days before you shut the door

Tuesday 19 July 2011

New Page Added

I now have an About Me page founds along the top of the page.


It has a selections of interesting information.

Have A Look Yourself

Xbox Dashboard of the Future

At E3 2011 Microsoft introduced a new dashboard interface for the Xbox 360. Looking at this closely lately I noticed that this is awfully familiar – in fact most of us have seen this before. At the moment this dashboard replicates that shown on the Windows Phone 7 and the early previews of Windows 8. It has also been announced lately that Microsoft intend for their new software to be interconnecting. What does this mean for the future of Microsoft’s home console?


Cross-Platform Gaming
Getting 360 games to play alongside their PC-based versions may be a hard concept to develop but this is definitely the direct I think Microsoft are looking to go. We’ve seen limited games like Shadowrun and Lost Planet: Colonies Edition attempt this but with varying results. Windows 8 integration however could bring this up to the next level with fully realised cross platform play. The only issue with this is whether the console users will be at a disadvantage with their controllers against the keyboard and mouse PC gamers.


Multi-Platform Purchasing
We’ve already seen examples of buying games over several platforms with the release of Portal 2 on the Playstation 3. When buying the console version users were also given a free copy of the PC software to go along with it. This is a very exciting concept that could evolve dramatically over the next few years and give users the organisation to play on the go or over different platforms at different times.

It is likely that a fully integrated dashboard would come along with this concept especially as Microsoft look to release their new graphics-heavy Windows Phone and Xbox UI’s over the next few months. Taking this a step further they could also incorporate a central gaming hub that would hold all your installed games, achievements, demos and Gamertag. This could be used as a central control to connect to your friends, start matchmaking and more – the possibilities are endless.


PC & Mobile Achievements
Hoping on the back of the Cross Platform Gaming will no doubt be the inclusion of further achievements. There are a selection of Xbox 360 users who are pure Achievement hunters and would stop at nothing to get their fix. We have already seen examples of this with Arkham Asylum and Fallout 3 but imagine all future games holding this potential. Personally I don’t see the point in buying the same game twice but there are those of you out there who wouldn’t think twice.


Media
Alongside the Achievement based inclusions and no doubt the central gaming hub would no doubt be Media syncing. Whether this be through software like Last.Fm or through personal storage this feature would almost be a must.

The ability to send movies to and from different systems, or synching TV stations to your Xbox would be a great benefit to those couch potatoes in all of us.


Cloud Saving
As we have been told by Microsoft, Cloud Saves are already coming to Xbox Live.  For those of you who don’t know these are for Game Saves and Live Profiles which can be accessed by any console at any time. This could also be incorporated further and allow you to pick up you Game Save from your Xbox at home to your friends PC version and pick up exactly where you left off.

The other feature mentioned recently is the ‘Beacon’ support which goes one step further when broadcasting what you're playing or watching on your Xbox. This will allow users to flag what they want to play, and lets friends on XBL or Facebook to see so they can meet you for a game.

- - - - -

Most of what I’ve spoken about above is complete hearsay but it certainly shows what and interesting time we have ahead of us. Are there any features you would like to see implement in the future or do you think this is all getting a bit far fetched?

Activision vs. ModernWarfare.com

The big battle between Activision and Electronic Arts for the best Warfare simulator has heated up again over the last few days. Activision looks to seize control of ‘modernwarfare3.com’ after it started redirecting users to the official Battlefield 3 website.

Activision has had enough and the publisher has filed a first domain name dispute complaint on Friday.

The website domain name, which is not owned by Activision or Electronic Arts, takes pot shots at the Modern Warfare series by saying that the third instalment ‘is a copy and paste experience’.

This is just another shot in what is sure to be one of the hottest gaming battles in the lead up to Christmas.

Which game are you most looking forward to? Who do you think will win the war?

Friday 15 July 2011

Gaming News

Blogging for this site has slowly started creeping into my life more and more and I’m find that it has become part of my daily routine. I often write something out one evening and either post it then or draft it to be checked the following day either first thing or on my lunch break. If I don’t get my hit then I tend to be a bit of a grumpy puppy. I always feel that I’ve let myself down if I don’t get a post done each day which seems to be rather a lot at the moment.

Slow news days are by far the absolute worst thing to occur when I’ve got my typing fingers ready. As my previous post outlined most of the summer months consist of this sort of thing but luckily I have several hundred ideas floating around in my head or quickly jotted down on my notepad to help me through.

What I was thinking of doing was providing a list of the sites I currently use for information purposes. This can be used for you to find new sites that may be of interest and for those moments when I need some inspiration.

In pursuit of some good talking points for blog topics, I've come across some interesting sites. Some are clogged with short random articles that look both unprofessional and uneventful. Others present themselves very well with a vast array of highly-talented opinions and original ideas.

Even before I started this blog I was always a regular viewer on several gaming sites, although none of them are specifically my favourite they do take up a little bit of my time each day. I like certain writers more then others but this is usually due to their styles and not their opinions. Different people are bound to have different opinions and as long as they express themselves in a constructive way with good reasoning then I’m happy.

Obviously the biggest site for gaming news is IGN; it will always be a great source for good stories and preview information. Although many people find their opinions questionable I find myself very nonchalant towards it all. They have also been criticised for sometimes playing the favouritism card but I haven’t really found any indication of this myself.

I have a fair share of gaming blogs that I regularly read including Kotaku, Joystiq and Destructoid but I’ve also found myself delving into other people’s blogs too. These three are a few of the fairly larger sites with a lot of needless chatter that doesn’t have much depth. Kotaku is the biggest culprit allowing pages of articles to be posted day to day even if they carry no real weight.

I’ve actually become a fan of Jeff Heilig’s work, ‘avideogamesblog’ on blogspot is really great and I have taken some of his views on board. I wish him the best of luck with his blog and hope all his hard work starts paying off. I hope he reads this too as it’s a vague attempt to grab his attention.

I recently found out about the N4G website through him and really enjoy using this too. It operates as a base to allow smaller sites the opportunity to present their works to a larger audience and in essence increase their fanbase. Their articles are interesting and a great way to pass 5 minutes or hear what hot topics are hitting the web.

Most of my blog consists of my own opinions, of course, and whenever I do take someones idea I give them credit as this is not only polite but respectful toward the original author.

[Edit] I’ll link this up shortly but I’m being lazy and I’m about to go out and watch Sussex play 20/20 Cricket. Before you ask I’m not a fan but a cold beer and some sunshine isn’t a bad thing on a Friday night. In the mean time typing these into Google will let you find the sites easily.

Winter is Coming - A Game of Thrones

The TV adaptation of a Game of Thrones has proved to be making a great impression on the public as the 63rd annual Emmy Award nominations were released recently. This series has been adored by both fans and critics and has even been put forward for best Drama Series. In addition to this Peter Dinklage has been put forward for his brilliant performance as Tyrion Lannister. He really has brought a lot to the show and given Tyrion the charisma found in the books.

Overall Game of Thrones has received an extremely impressive 13 nominations but has been beaten by the likes of Man Men (19), Modern Family (17) and another freshman series Boardwalk Empire (18).

The show has also been put forward for the Outstanding Writing award for ‘Baelor’, the penultimate episode of Season 1. This was known as the episode where the people who had not read the book thought that the series has dropped the ball. The book fans thought found this very true to the events in the pages themselves.

Hopefully Game of Thrones will pick up several awards and open itself up to a whole new selection of fans. The books are a brilliant piece of work and something any fans of the series should definitely give a go to.

Have you been happy with how the TV adaptation has worked out? What were your favourite parts of the first series/book? Please outline any chances of spoilers before commenting below.

Thursday 14 July 2011

Sequels: Tried and Test - New for You

Sequels are such a tough topic to cover, some people love them because they expand on the original content while others find them unoriginal or uninventive. Usually a fanbase becomes split dependant on an individual’s personal experience with the previous outing. There have been some terrible sequels created purely as a means to jump on the money wagon with half the development time and half the ideas of their original source material.

Sequels seem to be as common in this generation then any other – whether good or bad there has been some talk that studios are running through the same old ground time and time again. While Gold and Silver are still classed by some as the best Pokémon games out, the new additions to the line-up caused some stir. The standard tried and tested formula of the series took the reins again and with new critters released this did still leave some fans with a bitter taste. I’m not necessarily saying that this is a bad thing. I’m just a bit worried that certain studios are trying to say that they are giving us a new game without actually giving us new features, ideas or further tweaks. However that’s a debate for another time and would probably end with the usual - if it’s not broken there is no need to fix it - debate.

Sequels fall into two categories – they either completely revamp the experience like Fallout 3 or they work up for the basic premise of the previous games like Portal 2. Both of these should be welcome additions to any games collection and are sure to give you hours of enjoyment. Fallout 3 completely overhauls the whole experience with new gameplay additions and the obvious graphics upgrade but kept true to the routes of the original by giving the player an adult, enriching storyline. Portal 2 kept the tried and tested formula but made the whole experience seem fresh with a shiny lick of paint and new puzzle solving designs that progressed from the original.

There have been some disappointing sequels recently too with Dragon Age II the standout in my book. I played a couple of hours at a friends house and although I started a new game found this to be tired and far less inventive then Origins. I thought Bioware made a bad move trying to make this more accessible and actually stripped away some of the charm and depth the made Dragon Age Origins such a great game.

I saw an article a few weeks ago written about how Irrational Games have changed Bioshock’s source material so much that the end product for Infinite may suffer. I for one am not worried about the change from the dark underwater city of Rapture, to the bright eccentric location in the clouds, Columbia. I feel Ken Levine is a truly great designer with tricks up his sleeve that I could never even comprehend. The first true sequel to Bioshock is shaping up to be something very special indeed. Irrational Games had no part in the development of Bioshock 2 and only allowed 2k Marin access to their source material and therefore this instalment was more of a spin off in my opinion.


Great Sequels (IMO)
§   Mass Effect 2
§   Baldur’s Gate 2
§   Deus Ex: Invisible War
§   Halo Reach


Disappointing Sequels (IMO)
§   Metal Gear Solid 2
§   Final Fantasy X-2
§   Dragon Age II
§   Halo 2


What would make your list? Are there any sequels you loved? What sequels would you like to see next? Red Dead Redemption? Rogue Squadron? Commander Keen?

British Summertime

Summertime is always socially revered as the best part of the year, it’s filled with the football transfer period, sport seasons, blockbuster movies and music festival. There is sunshine and lollipops for everyone except gaming bloggers and journalists. It’s during this time of year that the video games industry tends to have a new drought. It’s a test for all writers and their ability to come up with interesting and creative articles out of next to nothing.

The lack of new releases give casual and hardcore games alike to replay passed classics and finish those they feel ashamed not to have completed. I myself plan to finish Final Fantasy XIII in full, complete my Insanity Vanguard run on Mass Effect 2 and collect all the Heart Pieces in Ocarina of Time.

My blog is still in the stages of a newborn baby and to get through this period with a few hits and comments will be quite an achievement. Quite frankly by whole blogging career has lasted just over a couple of months but I feel like I’m really starting to find my feet. This issue I have is that it is difficult to maintain a regular visitors list when I don’t have direct access to the industry myself. Luckily though I’m getting my name out there and tidying up my established skills. I have a notepad full of creative ideas focusing on current affairs and future industry issues.

This blog has been a means for me to practice both my writing skill and find my voice. I’m hoping that in time this will give be a good impression on what people want to read and what makes them also want to voice their own opinions too. There are several points ranging from critiquing what another site has posted, impressions of games, previews or speculation. While I am enjoying the process of building this blog, learning things from others and manipulating my design the main concern for any website is the number of readers.
Over the coming months I expect to write more often and hopefully to a higher standard then before. This blog has always been created with an emphasis on communicating with others and hearing what their views or opinions matter. I hope people will start to comment more regularly and I get a regular viewership.

If there is anything you feel I might be lacking or subjects you would like my opinion on then please sound off in the comments below… Come back soon!

Google +


I have been thinking about hoping on the Google+ train but have been feeling rather daunted by the process of importing and exporting information and pictures from one to another. I already have a Facebook page that I hardly use and regret starting so I hadn’t been too sure whether to move on.

I’m starting to use Google more and more as a search engine, a blog operator and for other useful applications. In fact I have also recently downloaded Chrome too (which by the way is fantastic)

I found a rather useful post on IGN to help us through though which I have outlined below:

Wednesday 13 July 2011

Dark Souls - Preview

A couple of hours ago I heard of Dark Souls for the first time, the dark action-adventure RPG being developed by From Software. This was originally an exclusive title for the PlayStation 2 but will now be released on Xbox 360 too and from what I’ve read is really shaping up to be a great game that may well break the usual console mould.


The game focuses on dungeon exploration that combines tension and fear with depth and action sequences. The game itself is the successor to the PlayStation exclusive Demon’s Soul of which I have limited knowledge on. The original game in the ‘Soul Saga’ followed a linear level design set in the main locations of the gameworld whereas Dark Souls will take place in an open world environment.


The player battles with various weapons and abilities to survive in the dark fantasy world. The original also had online functionality that allowed players to share their play experiences without the need for direct communication. This looks like it was similar to Fable’s hero orbs that floated around the world however these were shown in the form of ghosts. Players could leave others messages on the floors to outline traps or strategies and some deaths were marked as blood splatters for other players so that they could watch a replay of the events and get an idea of what was coming up. Dark Souls will also open up a player versus player system and a new cooperative game design although neither option has been expanded on.


It has been outlined that Dark Souls will be ‘significantly harder’ then its predecessor, with more enemies and varied encounters. There will also be more weapons, spells and classes to progress through the game giving this a stronger replay value.


The previous instalment was known for moments where it lured you effortlessly and elegantly into a horrible trap and gave players a new way of working out puzzles. It was mischievous and dramatic – always looking for new ways of killing the player. This element of the gameplay has been exploited even further in Dark Souls giving it an even darker impression.


IGN got to play a recent demo and outlined that there were fire-breathing wyverns, monstrous undead knights and gargoyles to contend with.


Dark Souls is really shaping up to be a great action adventure with a clear eye on its goals. This really could offer something different and hopefully the coming months will give us even more opportunities to hear or see this game in action.


What was Demon’s Soul like? Are you anyone interested Dark Souls too?