Remade, Restored and Remastered

We all know glorious gaming when we see if and as fans of the medium we all hope that the next big release is either as good as or better than those preceding it. The developers want to make the best games possible and are always looking to recreate the dizzying heights of their past classics.

I like playing classics as much as the next person but there is always faults with everything recreated/remastered. The emulators on my PC may allow me to have the feeling of playing my old favourites but the Super Mario Bros that I run out once every so often isn’t quite the same game I grew to love. What’s worse is that you’d think in this age of digital distribution that games would be preserved forever – and they aren’t. Anything can change the lay of the land in retro gaming; as I’m sure anyone who’s played an emulated Xbox game on their Xbox 360 will know, something as basic as a new television standard can greatly alter a classic experience.

The HD remake tactic started a few years ago and has provided us with a nice piece of nostalgia for many fans of the originals. These remakes are getting tooled up for the current generation to make everything look prettier and play smoother but what started as a trickle has turned into a flood. The success of the original reissues of God of War and Perfect Dark has brought with it a horde of other games looking for another decade of success.

The problem is that the more remakes we get the worse their quality becomes and the less true to the original formula they actually are. Players of the new Devil May Cry remake know that although Dante’s adventure did get some improvements to the gameplay the cinematics and menus looked blurry and uneven. Actually a recent article on Kotaku had several developers saying that remaking a game can take just a long as creating a fresh title.

Tomm Hulett, Senior Associate Producer of Konami's Silent Hill Collection was quoted as saying, "Game re-mastering isn't a quick and easy process. That first God of War Collection came out and did really well, and I think a lot of companies saw it as a good way to make a quick buck off old stuff. If you want to make a definitive version of a game, expect a serious time commitment. It's been more than two years since we began the Silent Hill Collection project. That's how long it took to make Silent Hill 2 in the first place."

The biggest problem is found in where the remake line is held. Do you want to keep the remake as true to the original as possible? Including bug and glitches? Or do you want to make a definitive edition that surpasses the original in as many ways as possible?

The problem sits deeply in a player’s fondness for a game – take the Ocarina of Time remake on the 3DS for example; some gamers wanted a straight port of the original N64 classic while others wanted added extras and tweaks to the gameplay. I’m always of the understanding that if it’s not broken don’t fix it but in these digital ages we have the ability to fix things quicker then before and games are generally less buggy (at least after a few patches).  These glitches in our classic games are some of the fondest memories I have of them and it didn’t stop people from enjoying them in the first place so why make a change. Just because a glitch is exploitable doesn’t mean you have to use it.

I completely understand fixing bugs that actually affect the games I’m playing and diminish the experience but to remove glitches that create humour or are loved by the fans of the game can diminish the experience too. It’s a touch scale to do correctly and one that should really be down to the fans and what they have gripes with and not some busy body looking for a quick buck… I can wish right?

So what version of a game is defined as the real version? At this point in time we have Ocarina of Time on the N64, the remade 3DS version or ones played on various other consoles and emulators. The 3DS version collects the original game well, polishes graphical discrepancies and also holds the Master Quest for those avid fans.  The answer to the question though is, none of them. Everyone from the developers to the fans to the studios tasked with remaking them will all have their own opinions whether personal or business related. Frankly they are all The Ocarina of Time it’s just down to preference.

Technically the version that preserves the drama, action or nostalgia is the ones that matters, the games that bring enjoyment to fans no matter the platform or the gamers age. This boom in remakes is just getting started and I’m sure we will find many more games being retold over the next decade. I’m also sure we will find new ways for developers to deal with the challenges of making something as good as or better than the original.

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Downloadable Gaming

Downloadable content has been going through the motions lately with many of the AAA titles running elite ‘membership’ style deals featuring regular but not groundbreaking extras. It seems like a shame to keep seeing new skins, maps and modes when the majority of players want substantial content being thrown into the mix too.

I love a few extra maps on Battlefield as much as anybody but I don’t expect to have to pay £10.00 every few months for a couple of environments that weren’t chosen to be in the original box. Actually that reminds me of the Gears of War incident from last year where the content was contained on the game disk but players had to buy it separately in order to grant themselves access.

Downloadable skins, challenge maps and multiplayer modes might satiate some gamers, but that's never been the case for me. I play video games for stories, for characters I care about and want substantial content delivered for the price it is going to cost me. If I’m spending £10.00 on content (around a quarter of the full retail price) I expect 25% of a full game included in the additional content.

 If you promise me downloadable content such as Red Dead Redemption's Undead Nightmare, Fallout 3’s Broken Steel or Mass Effect 2's Arrival, I'll painstakingly maintain my saves and refuse to loan out discs so that I can play again when the expansion comes. If you go the Dead Space 2 route and just give me a new gun for multiplayer or a nice new character skin, chances are I'll never come back to your game when I'm done with the single-player campaign.

From a personal perspective I’d rather have less regular but chunkier content than minimal monthly releases. The developers that go dark for six months and come back with a new couple of story hours such as Harley Quinn's Revenge (….and hopefully Dawnguard) grab my attention more than those offering me the chance to play a deathmatch on a golf course. 

Lots of single-player franchises are tossing in multiplayer to try and keep gamers from selling back their games but they need to start realising that we love those games because of their single player story. It makes sense to think that a game focusing on single player should offer single player content. If a developer has built an amazing world, why don’t they want to give us more of it?

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A Year of the 3DS

So a year has almost passed since the Nintendo’s 3DS hit the market and what a year it has been. The transition between the Nintendo DS and the 3DS should have been a mere formality but the portable market that belonged almost entirely to Nintendo didn’t pick up the new console very quickly.

Even as support for mobile games has increased many people have still be keen and regular users of the dual screen handhelds that came before. The DS found life in four different iterations with numerous colours, options and features.

The software has ranged from predicable offerings of Mario and Zelda to DS exclusives like Brain Age and Pictocross. In fact the DS is one of the greatest success stories in video game history as more than 149 million units have been sold worldwide. The system itself is actually Nintendo’s best selling product ever and the second best selling system of all time.

When Nintendo unveiled the 3DS system at E3 2010 most people, myself included, presumed that the success would just transfer over. The 3Ds was shown with a powerful design and branding that followed the original DS in both design and ideas, the software also looked formidable. It then took Nintendo a further 6 months to release any solid information on launch dates, pricing and finalised software.

Despite Nintendo’s dominance in the handheld market the launch ideas seem troubling. The debut price for the console in the US was a full $80 more than any previous DS launch price and was particularly high when you put together the perspective software schedule for the opening few months. The strategy employed was strong but risky and in hindsight probably showed that Nintendo had a little too much pride in heir previous success that they almost didn’t think the 3DS had a chance of flopping. In all honesty it looked like Nintendo wasn’t really ready for the launch of the new system but they decided to go ahead with it anyway.

The biggest problem with the initial release was the lack of the eShop that so many people were excited about and also the quality of the release date games. In fact none of the release date games grabbed my attention and everything from Splinter Cell to Nintendogs seemed to be burdened by poor reviews. None of the games embraced the significant advancements on the last handheld and only enough some didn’t even utilised the USP’s. Oddly enough the built in games like Face Raiders seemed to be the most played software after initial release. The released versions of Street Fighter and PES were strong but were never going to be console sellers. Despite being the successor of an all-powerful handheld the 3DS looked set to crash dramatically.

In truth the first week of sales was good around the globe and many people picked up the system, overall Nintendo managed to sell 3.5 million systems by the end of March 2011. Nintendo however were not happy with the sales and had originally anticipated a goal of 4 million units sold within the first month. It unfortunately showed the state of things to come and outlined that the console needed something to change to keep it pushing strongly in the future – especially with Vita over the horizon.

As Spring rolled into Summer the cracks in Nintendo’s master plan started to rapidly show and even by May the eShop was still no-where to be seen and the big release on the cards, Ocarina of Time, was still weeks away too.

Quickly Nintendo noticed the issued and ran out a quick fire eShop to improve the user base; though not perfect the shop game us the option of purchasing retro games at a significant saving and was certainly welcomed. Though the eShop hasn’t been as useful as I’d first hoped the weekly updates that are now in place are interesting; especially when the market is going slowly.

The industry started to notice the problems and five months after release Nintendo revealed that performance was worse than ever imagined. After month one the 3DS could only manage a mere 3 million units worldwide for the following five.

It took Nintendo’s knowledge of the industry and again another big risk for the 3DS to start picking up sales again. Six months after the release the 3DS price reduction came into place and in most areas the console was reduced by over 30%. The world was beginning to be dark for Nintendo and the shockingly large price drop had many wondering what significance this might have on the whole company and not just their recent hardware release.

The reduction in price brought with it a stream of new game information and also the fantastic 3DS Ambassador program (which itself was a stroke of genius). All in all the second half of 2011 proved to be a very different fight indeed.

Problems did still plague the 3DS but nothing hit as hard as the initial release period. The system got an influx in electronic content online and had a few button changes along the way. The line up of quality games started appearing in stores with the like of Resident Evil and Pilotwings and then toward Christmas with the standard Mario Land and Mario Kart titles. Ultimately the software started selling more hardware and ultimately that was what matters.

Nintendo may have misread and mishandled the early months of the 3DS, but it has swiftly addressed some of the system's biggest shortcomings, most notably in the area of content. It proves that the hardworking people at Nintendo know what they are doing after all and surprised us all in completely the right way. If you’d have asked me a year ago I’d have probably expected the 3DS to have been pulled by now but in reality it’s stronger than ever.

The next 12 months sure are going to be exciting in the handheld camp with Sony’s Vita also trying to break into the usually loyal handheld market. The Monster Hunter series is also due for a release and we will no doubt here more as we approach the 2012 E3 conference. It’s an interesting time to by into the 3DS concepts and an even more interesting one if you’ve already invested.

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Inside Xbox Europe Cancelled

Microsoft has officially confirmed their cancellation of Inside Xbox in Europe.

The news follows last week's cancellation of Inside Xbox in the US, and accompanies job losses at Microsoft's Xbox UK team.

Major Nelson was on hand to explain the decision, writing on his blog that the Inside Xbox Europe team have decided to do away with first-party content in favour of a third-party model.

"Following the news last week that that Inside Xbox in the US was to cease production, the team in Europe has been investigating what makes most sense for them and the Xbox Live community as they continue to strive to deliver the latest gaming and entertainment news for users across the region," Major Nelson said.

"As such, they have decided to move away from the current first-party produced content model and transition to a third-party content model, which will provide timely and locally-relevant content to users across more of the EMEA markets. Whilst this means that the Inside Xbox brand will effectively be retired in Europe, the focus remains on continuing to provide the Xbox LIVE community with the latest and best in games and entertainment news and information."

Dan Maher, aka MrPointyHead, the former Xbox Live editor and one half of the Inside Xbox UK team, thanked fans for their support on Twitter.

He wrote, "So, to be clear and succinct: Inside Xbox is no more, as are our job. Your support during the last four years has meant the world to us."

It’s such a shame to see the team go as I am a constant watcher of all the Inside Xbox shows. It will be interesting to see what the third party content is going to offer other than the standard trailers and short gameplay videos.

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Minecraft - Xbox Live Impressions

I will hold my hands up now and say that Minecraft has definitely passed me by. The new gaming sensation has completely swept passed me in a blaze of glory. I’ve heard all about it and many of my friends are addicted and this is mainly the reason why I’ve left it well alone. I’m a sucker for a good building/simulation game and I’ve known from day one that it would consume me.

I’ve jumped on the cult wagon now in an attempt to see exactly what I’m missing out on and I can tell you know I’ve missed a lot.

Trying out the XBLA version for the first time I found myself exploring a good sized open landscape with my pickaxe in hand and enjoying ever second of it. I heard the live version is slightly less advanced but that only furthered my enjoyment. The console based controls were solid and allowed me to pick up and play with relative ease. Even my friends that are already players on the PC liked some of the more streamlined features like the tool builder and found the experience just as involving.

All in all it seems like a well designed and preserved PC port that allows us all the chance to explore and expand at our own pace.

The blocky graphics were something I was a first afraid of but I can honestly say it has a simple but naïve charm that brings to life the funny and colourful monsters and wildlife that also inhabit this open spa ce.

The basic premise is that you mine, craft and build your way to success with only your imagination holding you back. Some of PC levelling and combat advancement has been removed but this does not diminish the gameplay in any way and is arguably the purer version on offer. The goal is still to survive and prosper as you build an large and personal world from scratch.

You start out with nothing and gather raw materials with your bare hands in order to craft tools and therefore speed up your experience. The more you build, craft and expand the better you become as you upgrade your tools and push the boundaries of your abilities. I found navigation to be easy during my time playing but I can imagine that the large your expand the harder it is to track where you are and what you wanted to do next.

However basic the building blocks, this game is not short on awe and spectacle - whether it's the work of man or Minecraft professionals you actually appreciate other peoples hard work and can easily jump in an out of friends game worlds too so you can play together both online or split screen.

The day and night cycle brings with it a few subtle changes as the monster regularly try to attack you and therefore make the night time more about survival than expansion. It’s a nice twist and I can honestly say that my first night in game felt like it was definitely going to be my characters last. If you die you drop everything you were holding which dents the next ‘days’ progress as you have to salvage the materials again. It’s actually exceptionally dark too so remember to put up some torches.

It's this threat that sets Minecraft's engine running. It's why you need to build a home, and make better armour and weapons for yourself, and prepare food to recover your health, and construct defences so you don't find an explosive Creeper at your door in the morning. You really do feel like a settler in a strange land.

Whether you’re a fan of the original or you want to try your hand at the Minecraft experience this live version is a great place to start and one that is sure to build it’s own empire of large and sophisticated designs. If like me you haven’t give Minecraft a chance than go on you might even find you like it….

What do you think of the new XBLA version? Are you a fan of the original? Even more importantly have you got any worlds you would like to share? If so please leave a message below.

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Halo 4 - Pre E3 Update

Microsoft's 343 Industries is taking Halo to the next level but have been very vocal about keeping the experience as true to the core series as possible. The trailer from E3 last year started where Halo 3 left off as Master Chief wakes up drifting aboard the wreckage of the UNSC frigate Forward Unto Dawn with Cortana.

Basically Halo 4 is looking like it will provide fans of the series with everything they’ve loved before as well as a whole lot more. Frank O’Connor announced that the HUD has changed as well as well as several tweaks to the gameplay – you can now hear John’s voice as he breathes inside his helmet. The sound, the visuals and the music have all be updated and the weapons have been improved but still feel very familiar.

Of course, that balance between improving the features of the game while still keeping that Halo feel has extended beyond the single-player experience. The competitive multiplayer game has new modes, new features and even more customisation than before. In fact 343 even went so far as to say they have found a legitimate reason for the reds and blues ‘war’.

During the development of Halo 4 they noticed within the archive of statistics that many players don’t really experience the competitive multiplayer portions. Basically many people find the competitive environment intimidating and hard to get good at.

Step up the Spartan Ops mode – a new Startan trainee character that can be created, improved and customised while playing co-operative online. This new feature has been compared to the co-op portion of Portal 2 that actually has it’s own in built story to progress. This will actually feature it’s own set of levels specifically designed for co-operative gameplay. People will be able to come together to complete objectives and rack up high scores in order to purchase upgrades and unlockables.

The mode itself is something a little different to the previous outings firefight mode and looks to offer those less competitive players a chance to hook up with others online to vanquish their favourite enemies.

The Spartan Ops story will stretch out for several weeks, but not months, according to O'Connor - "Season one comes free with the game. If we did another season we would be building that from scratch. Maybe that will be DLC; maybe it goes in the next game. We are still tinkering with that."

As outlined several times by 343 Industries the game is already pretty much completed and they are now working on getting as many nice tweeks and issues as possible ironed out before the game ships this November. As a fan of the series I’m more than a little excited about getting my fans on the finished article.

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Constant Internet Connections

If the rumour that both next-generation consoles will require a constant Internet connection is true than it is about time to start worrying. The feature will of course decrease piracy but it will also create a permanent wall between publishers and the consumers.

Ok piracy is a problem that reoccurs in the games industry on a regular basis but punishing us all for the minority’s behaviour is unwise and may affect the choices customers make in the future. The argument against this is the fact that not every single gamer will be able to always have access to and always on internet connection let alone one that is reliable. While I am an avid Xbox gamer if Microsoft went down this route and Sony didn’t I’d be the first person to jump ship and not because I pirate games either – mainly because I like to play my games when I want to play them and my Internet Connection is not always as problem free as I’d like it to be.

Restricting games to an always-on connect seems like a significant oversight of the fact that not everyone plats online games either as, a failure to recognise your own consumers is a basic level mistake regardless of the reasons.

This action will first of all alienate a significant number of gamers that simply cannot afford and Internet connect or at least one that’s permanently available. In other cases people experience regular drop-out which will restrict game time which can occur due to service maintenance or poor connect issues. Other areas of concern are slow connections, internet data caps and the fact that not everyone wants to play at home all the time.

On an even bigger level there are technological implications for the consumers too. An always on internet connect will mean a loss in consumer power in that they will no longer be able to experience their game when and where they want. The always-on internet option is just another sign that consumers are losing control over the products they own; whether that’s in the video game market or any of the major entertainment industries.

Rumours have even taken to stating that games will be auto linked to a single Gamertag or PSN account; restricting the trade in market, rental shops and even removing the ability to try out a friend’s game. The more restrictions put in place the less the consumer market will enjoy their products they have brought and the less likely they are to dip into their pockets for games they aren’t sure about. 

Several publishers have had similar schemes in mind recently but most if not all have been very poorly received. EA announced last month that the new SimCity would require an always on connection which didn’t go down greatly with the public; they tried to tame the poor reception by saying that it is being used to emphasise their focus on multiplayer which has seemed to anger people more.

In August last year, Blizzard revealed that Diablo III would also require a constant Internet connection, even in single-player mode. Again the publisher stated that the reason was for enhanced updates but were honest in the fact that it was also to stop security and piracy. The problem with this is that if the players connect drops then penalties would be assigned (in hardcore mode it would actually mean a characters permanent death). 

The reasons for and against always –on connections are rather broad but in all honesty it’s almost a publisher vs consumer battle which will mean dissatisfaction for one part at least. I have the Internet and a reasonable connection but I would still feel cheated if my hobby was to become full of restrictions. I don’t see people needing a constant license to rent their local football pitch or read their favourite book.

Feeling strongly about these rumours – let me know in the comments below.

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Call Of Duty: Black Ops 2

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 has now been announced to the public and might be the most frightening take on the future that we’ve seen in years. Instead of clichés like space travel and aliens, Treyarch have decided to present a world that completely different yet totally viable. The things about Black Ops 2 is that the future on show doesn’t differ too much from where we are now.

Some of the campaign takes place in the 80’s but the main hub of the story is set in 2025 where you’ll assume the role of Black Ops protagonist Alex Mason’s son, David. China have unsurprisingly risen to become a global power and are embroiled in a modern cold war with the United States over the most previous resources our planet has to offer.

The realism in the story is realistic due to how accurate the actually problem with natural resources is at the moment.  All major electronic products use these elements in their construction which is currently being mined primarily by China. News story after news story invokes the mind into the likelihood that rare earth elements are a future point of contention for many different nations. See, for instance, President Obama's recent speech regarding China's hold on these precious materials.

Treyarch still wants Black Ops 2 to deliver the over-the-top visual spectacle that people have come to expect from their AAA series. Expect the combat to follow the same fast paced routine of the previous games with many gadgets and gizmo’s to use along the way. Expect to be pitted against drones, soldiers and vehicles as you make you way through a variety of locations. The standard of the visuals and sounds have also been improved to bring with it a more viable and believable battlefield from the not so distant future.

The phrase "cinematic experience" gets tossed around a lot when discussing what it means to make a Call of Duty campaign, leading many people to (justifiably) associate the series with heavily scripted and linear single player stories. Treyarch wants to change those expectations with Black Ops 2 but crafting a story with branching paths to increase replayability.

The additional gameplay elements for this new Call of Duty outtin comes in the form of ‘Strike Force’ missions that allow players to go through levels as part of a black ops group choosing levels based on threats during your current playthrough. These missions then tie back to the main game depending on success or failure much like the Galaxy at War mode of Mass Effect 3. These missions will be co-operative and feature small but sandbox like areas with multiple objectives.

For years people have been speculating when the Call of Duty franchise would try using the future as a story driver and it looks like this might be the first of many games going down this route. Presumably the success of this title will be down to the AAA standards as well as the games title which is sure to help it sell well and no doubt obtain another sequel.

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Skyrim DLC Announced

So Skyrim fans its time to get excited as the first major expansion for The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim has been confirmed yesterday. The content titled ‘Dawnguard’ will be out in the summer and Bethesda plan to confirm further details at this year’s E3 press conference.

All we've got to go on so far is the teaser image seen below which Bethesda posted on their blog.

As previously announced, all Skyrim DLC will arrive on Xbox 360 first, before rolling out to PC and PlayStation 3 a month or so later.

While there has been no official information released, files found within the recent Patch 1.5.26.0 would suggest that the content may include vampries, the legendary Snow Prince and Crossbows.

Skyrim recently received an update for the Xbox 360 which supported Kinect voice controls.

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A Game Of Thrones - The Video Game Preview

So the critically acclaimed TV show A Game of Thrones is quite frankly a rather large license at the moment and as such Cyanide have picked this up for its first major video game release. It sounds unfair but for a developer who mainly deal in simulating cycling events this does seem like a bit of an unfair match. Many people love the series but not many people have loved their games.

It surprised me that this wasn’t picked up someone like CD Projekt, whom seem to specialise in dark fantasy titles and raunchy medieval backdrops. This is Cyanides second attempt a cracking the Game of Throne audience after their real-time strategy title that was released last year but this was released before HBO’s adaptation grabbed everyone’s attention.

The interesting premise of this new RPG is that it is set during the first book in Martin’s A Song of Fire and Ice series and follows a brand new set of characters.  The game plays out around the stories from the book/series and will allow people to meet their favourite characters along the way as well as step foot in all the well known locations.

The game has been outlined as a very faithful companion to the franchise and follows the high standards the books and the show on TV. The two main characters share an interweaving story that jumps from one perspective to the other much like the chapters of the books themselves. One is Mors Westford, a member of the Nights Watch, who goes into battle with his pup. The second is Alester Sarwyck, a red priest of R’hllor, hardened by battles and his life in Westeros.

The game takes in locations like Castle Black and holds as truly to the book as possible. Lead designer Sylvain Sechi said, “When we were working with George Martin, he saw the wall and said 'Woah - it's very, very big, we said, yeah, it's 600 feet like you wrote in the book. He said 'Woah - I wrote it too big.' We're very authentic, and sometimes it's too authentic for him!"

Some people have expressed a worry that the game itself doesn’t feel like a dark fantasy epic and is more of a low level produced RPG.

The game is settling a deeply into the lore as possible and even has differently branching paths along the way. Yes the game might not look brilliant right now but the game isn’t scheduled for release for another few months so there is time for the production to look and feel better.

As a fan of the series I certainly hope that the game improves over the finale of it’s development and would like to see if receive at least a little success and as such stake a claim for a remake with slightly better money down the line.

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The Avengers Assemble Review

So yesterday I go to experience what might be the most anticipated movie of all time. Since September 1964 when the first Avengers team up took place, or in some cases over the last 4 years of Marvel movies the world have been waiting for a superhero team up to take place on the big screen.

The ambitious story takes substance from the last 5 Marvel outings to construct a large but faithful world that is sure to please fans everywhere. I suppose the real achievement here is that if any of the 5 previous films had faltered than there may never have been an Avengers movie for me to review now.

Of course, all that build up had to lead to something, and The Avengers itself was always going to be the most difficult part of the whole enterprise to pull off. With a rich, diverse and complex story following several legitimate ‘big characters’ the film could have come across very messy and the balance was very important. Josh Whedon has done a superb job of making sure all the players come off with enough integrity to support their individual futures and the slow building of The Avengers team sits well against the fast paced finale.

 The film opens with the re-introduction of S.H.I.E.L.D and agents Nick Fury, Black Widow and Hawkeye holdings the Asgardian Demi-God, Loki. In a quest to rule the Earth the maniacal Loki steals the Tesseract; an alien source of immense power, which forces Fury to unite the Avengers and basically save the day. Yes, the premise is clear and the story isn’t anything greatly above the norm but the ease in the main story allows the characters to really shine though; allowing us ample time to see the heroes play off one-another.

Although Tony Stark probably gets the most screen time as a character he never outshines any of the others, this is no doubt down to him being the lead in the two most popular films released so far. His wild and chaotic charisma plays through very well and the banter on screen with him and Captain America is very dynamic and something fans have been waiting for.

The only character without such a big impact is Hawkeye who generally just scowls at everything going on around him. Yes he has more to do on the main storyline aspect but as one of my favourite Marvel characters I’m a little disappointed that he wasn’t used more.

The scenes where the members of The Avengers interact with each other are some of the best moments in the whole film and really show Whedon’s typically clever, playful and interesting banter ensuring that each actor spars with the next both verbally and otherwise.

Actually my stand out performance comes in the form of Mark Ruffalo who seems to have been made for the role of Bruce Banner/The Hulk. He has great screen presence and played the character with just the right mix of nervousness and anger. It is suffice to say that a lot of the humour comes through him especially during the action packed finale.

The Avengers is pretty much set into two parts with the first half putting together the team and seeing them fight each other, while the second half focuses on the full squad taking it to Loki’s army as a unit.  The action sequences are well designed and play in some truly memorable moments including sections where the heroes really take their aggression out on each other. The climax of the movie finds The Avengers battling against Loki’s invasion force throughout Manhattan, giving each of the major players their big ‘awesome’ moments along the way.

The Avenger is not just a film about a group of superheroes fighting together but a movie that takes a lot of creativity to make all the characters concerns shine though; Captain America is still feeling lost in the modern era, Black Widow still suffers from the guilt of her past, Bruce Banner worries constantly about ‘The Other Guy’ and Tony Stark gets to rub everyone the wrong way. More importantly though the story finds a way for everyone to galvanise together for one reason or another in order to succeed.

Clever writing from Josh has allowed this to happen and I would find it very difficult to think of anyone else that would have pulled this off with such success. Each character plays out exceptionally well on screen and the bonds and giant personalities click together in a very fluid way.

Considering all the hype and build-up, it's wonderful to see that The Avengers not only lives up to expectations, but exceeds them on almost every point. It's funny, exciting and offers the kind of childish thrills that are absent from most current blockbusters. It even manages to engage the viewer on an emotional level while throwing dazzling destruction in front of them. Quite frankly it sets a new standard for what blockbusters should aim to be…

Go see this now!

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2012 - The Games

So with 2012 in full swing what are the most anticipated games still awaiting launch over the course of the next 9 months. Your Video Games Blog has listed below the games it is most looking forward to and especially those that we feel might be in with a shout for the 2012 game of the year.

Halo 4

Obviously the first Halo game from 343 Industries is heading the most wanted poll for most of the Xbox 360 fans around the globe. Graphically it looks far more impressive then any of the previous games and Master Chief is quite a lot more detailed than he was in Halo 3. The story and character arcs have been reviewed in great detail and will surely satisfy any fans appetite. We still have no idea about the campaign specifics but we know of a new co-op mode called Spartan Ops that will feature custom load outs. November can’t come soon enough!

The Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings

The Witcher 2 has fast become one of the best RPG games on the PC over the last year and many people have been anticipating this console version for quite some time. Actually being released today the game centres on the protagonist Geralt of Rivia and takes a more action based approached than many of the stable console RPG’s currently on offer. If the high scoring PC reviews are anything to go by then this will be a hit on the consoles too. The grim and dark reality within the fantasy epic is sure to draw many people in.

Trials Evolution

Trials has become of the signature hits of the Xbox Live Arcade Community and stills delivers hours of fun all this time after it’s initial released. The follow up is certain to do much of the same but also introduces a lot more polish and effect to the loving physics engine. This time the action goes outside and also delves into the world of multiplayer too. Racing against your friend both on and offline is one of the aspects we all wished was included with the original and this is sure to right that wrong. To make sure you have the best trials times pick this up next month.

Max Payne 3

Rockstar have been heavily publicising this release over the past few months which features a much more rustic looking Max. Continuing the third person perspective from the previous two titles this action epic is set to go down a storm with fans new and old alike. The game is set in Sao Paulo, Brazil and will feature the staple inclusion of bullet time once more while also venturing into the world of multiplayer.

Dragons Dogma

The new action RPG from the creators of Resident Evil is shaping up really nicely with fluid combat and open world gameplay. Primarily a hack’n slasher the complexity of the action is set to be much more than just button mashing. The story doesn’t seem to feature anything revolutionary but the multitude of options means that most RPG fans are going to feel right at home. If you’re a fan of Skyrim then this is probably one worth keeping an eye on.

A Game of Thrones

Being a fan of the TV and book series means that this title is definitely one that I am personally quite excited about. Not much has yet been revealed about the game aside from it being set in Westeros and follow the war for the throne but as long as this is loyal to the world created by George.R.Martin than we will have little to complain about. Whether you want to side with Tyrion Lannister or Robb Stark the choice will be yours…

Far Cry 3

The first trailer for Far Cry 3 teased the sense and made for a really action packed view on what will be on offer but without truly seeing the game in action, more recently though we have been given a chance to see exactly what is over the horizon and boy is it shaping up nicely. Following in the footsteps of the hugely popular Far Cry 2 comes another gritty shooter set on a tropical nirvana which will set the player off against war criminals, feuding gangs and slave merchants along with way.

Borderlands 2

The original Borderlands was one of the most interesting shooters of recent years blending together millions of guns, interesting baddies and an RPG style system to create a really addictive ‘just one more minute’ sort of game. The biggest gripe from most people was the brown bland areas for exploration and the sometimes repetitive fetch quest style gameplay. The sequel is looking to sort all of the issues out and sets you up with 4 brand new characters to choose from each with their own individual abilities and styles of play. With millions more guns of offer this is sure to be a winner in any FPS fans eyes.

Assassins Creed 3

The third instalment (and I use that loosely) in the Assassins Creed series picks up with a new protagonist a new area to explore and a whole new movement, climbing and combat system. Set during the American Revolution the game is set as much in the wilderness as it is within city walls. The player will fill the boots of a half-English half-Mohawk called Connor Kenway whom is drawn into battle when his home is attacked by white colonists. The player will once again meet many famous people along the way which will craft the progress of the main story. With a refined multiplayer mode also being announced this new instalment is sure to please any fans of the series.

Bioshock Infinite

Bioshock was one of the breakthrough series released on the current generation and this new adventure is due to refine the series even further. Set on the floating city of Columbia the protagonist Booker Dewitt is sent into the sky to kidnap a young woman with a terrible history. Taking many plugs from the art-deco era the tale is set to be fast paced and fluid. Plasmids have been replaced by tonics and vitamins which will increase the characters abilities permanently or for a short duration. Did I mention this is looking lovely too? With 6 months left before release Irrational Games are hoping to make this the complete FPS package.

What are you looking forward to over the next few months? Is there anything I’ve missed off from my list above? Sound off below.

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