For the love of the game

Posted on February 14, 2015 by Craig M

What have I been up to lately? I’ve been actively trying to finish some games. I completed Call of Duty Advanced Warfare recently…the campaign was not bad but seemed to just end all of a sudden, and the presence of Kevin Spacey didn’t bring a lot to the party. I haven’t really got into the multiplayer as on first few attempts it kind of annoyed, and it’s new exo-suit abilities didn’t really enhance the gameplay as was suggested.

Otherwise I have been getting back into what I’d call Xbox One’s hidden gem, namely the underrated and sublimely fun Sunset Overdrive. This game is just pure joy and so entertaining and funny. Helps also it’s one of the most vibrant and beautiful game world’s I’ve seen in a long time – if you have an X1 you owe it to yourself to play this game. It’s exactly why I fell in love with videogames, and feels so refreshing in an industry obsessed with online shooters and war games.

I also recently downloaded the indie title The Escapists, a throwback, purposely old-school looking top-down RPG where you’re an inmate in a prison and must figure a way out to escape, whilst at the same time going about every day prison life, like going to the canteen, doing the laundry, buying items off fellow inmates, doing mini-missions for people and exercising. It’s very different and so far I’m really enjoying it. Also on the indie-front I’ve been playing the acclaimed Limbo, a strange, creepy platform game where you’re a little boy who must navigate a wealth of traps to go who knows where in a black & white gothic nightmare.

I really should get back to The Evil Within, but that has proved more annoyingly-hard than fun and well, I’m in more of a fun-seeking mood of late. On a side-note I picked up the medieval fantasy action game Lords of the Fallen, but that’s proving very tough too…which I should have guessed as it’s very much modelled on famed bastard-hard franchise Demons Souls. It’s very cool looking though (despite some surprising frame-rate issues on the PS4!), and I like the customization elements and the setting as a whole, so I may persevere.

I’ve been into videogames for a very long time and apart from my interest in movies, it’s my other big love. Yet it’s also one I don’t dedicate myself too enough sometimes … yes I buy games and play them, but I get distracted easily, let life get in the way and sometimes end up with a pile of games I don’t end up finishing. It’s sort of like that now, but I’ll get there … at least with most of them.

My gaming year 2014

Posted on December 26, 2014 by Craig M

It’s certainly been a very fun year on my gaming calendar. I had only got my Xbox One in December 2013 so by the time 2014 rolled around it was still very new to me. One of the first games I played during the year was Dead Rising 3, an open world zombie slaughter-fest with immediately impressive visuals mostly down to the number of zombies all after my blood, and the tongue-in-cheek storylines and comical weapons and outfits kept me coming back. Then we got the remastered edition of Tomb Raider, arguably Lara Croft’s best adventure yet and it looked incredibly detailed on the XB1 and meant I went on to complete it a second time, having previously owned it on PS3.

As the months rolled by, I got my hands on the much anticipated Titanfall. Now this game may have lacked a story of any particular significance, and it’s single player was pretty dire – but the multiplayer, wow … really grabbed me, I felt for a shooter it had real depth and the inclusion of parkour, titans and some great maps kept me playing for a good while. I’d even go as far as saying it’s the best multiplayer shooter I’ve ever played, and for me I felt I could be good at it and it was fair and easy to learn. I haven’t played it in a while, and well, I really need to get back in there. One other similarly hyped game was Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes, which although visually and concept-wise impressive left me feeling it could have been much more. It didn’t have the replay value I had hoped, was way too easy to get spotted whilst sneaking around and well, despite an interesting (short-lived) campaign that set the stage for MGS #5, I sold it after a short while owning it.

I got Battlefield 4 with my Xbox and that certainly got a lot of time in the drive. I must have played through the excellent single-player campaign at least twice, because I got almost to the final mission then a bug caused me to lose my progress, so I had to restart. I thought it had a great story with really good characters and some top-flight visuals. One of the best launch titles for the XB1. The multiplayer also was very addictive, but as with the likes of Call of Duty, after a while it just seemed to get too popular and too difficult to be fun anymore. Another game I had with the XB1 was Forza Motorsport 5, which I still dip into today, and is a great, serious racer with some sharp visuals and lots of fast, meaty cars. Certainly a game I can really lose a lot of time to and has depth and a lengthy career mode that I’ll admit I still haven’t finished. I played it recently to compare it with the PS4’s Drive Club, and not being biased whatsoever – Forza was just immediately more accessible and more ‘fun’.

During the year, off and on I had a lot of fun with the ‘Record That’ and ‘Upload’ features of the XB1, which is very easy to play around with and the inclusion of being able to edit several clips together or narrate them etc. has been endless fun. I also like how XB1 allows you to upload said clips not only to their own Upload service but also to Youtube. Xbox Live’s Games with Gold was also very welcome as I pay almost £40 a year for the service and have enjoyed getting my hands on freebies like Guacamalie, Limbo and Super Time Force to name but a few. It’s a great incentive and I look forward to what Microsoft gives away in the future.

Another highlight was Watch Dogs … yes, it was downgraded following the E3 2012 reveal but damn if it didn’t have a great cyber-hacker story and some great characters. I think the whole hacking the city game mechanic set a blue print for the future and any sequels will only build on such an interesting concept. I think I was fairly on my own for liking Aiden Pierce – he was an anti-hero, a troubled character, flawed but believable and I thought he was a great lead for the story. I still come back to this one as the rendition of Chicago is very well done and well, let’s be honest here, at night, with it raining and the lighting etc. – this game can look amazing.

In recent weeks it’s also been a case of too much choice not enough time or patience to really get some games completed. Good examples of this are The Evil Within, which I’ll admit has scared the crap out of me more than any game this year (yes, even more than Outlast) and the onset of the horror survival genre has meant I’ve purposely avoided similar titles. Evil Within is different though as it still plays like a classic Resident Evil game, has action not just scares, and a great atmosphere. Still not finished it though. Another is the polar opposite Sunset Overdrive, probably one of the most unashamedly ‘fun’ games I’ve ever played, with a perfect mix of Dead Rising meets Jet Set Radio in probably the most colourful city I’ve ever visited in a video game.

Destiny remains my biggest disappointment of 2014 as far as gaming is concerned. Initially yes, it was all wow for me … gorgeous visuals, decent shooter gameplay and the ability to upgrade your character, weapons etc. within an always online open world. Then after a few weeks, repetition crept in. The single-player which seemed to promise so much was over and a big let down and then I’m meant to just keep playing the same raids and missions over and over until I cap out my character’s level? I also didn’t like how Bungie pretty much promised the earth and delivered something ultimately very bland. It’s still on my XB1 dash board … I may pick it up again just for the sheer beauty of it, but it’s not a game a have much of an urge to rush back to.

Of course I ended the year very similarly to how I ended 2013 … by getting a new console. I purchased the PlayStation 4 and am very glad I did, having a lot of fun with the impressive Assassin’s Creed Unity. The machine itself seems a simpler design to much of the ambition of the XB1 and despite more power under the hood, plays it very safe, very PS3 in comparison. 2015 will be the real time it get’s to spread it’s wings, so for now XB1 is still my console of choice.

It will be interesting to see how 2015 shapes up. The big games I am looking forward to are the XB exclusives Quantum Break and Rise of the Tomb Raider, as well as the PS4 exclusives Uncharted 4 and The Order 1886. I’m a bit on the fence on how the much anticipated, heavily hyped The Division turns out, it being by Ubi Soft who do have a habit of over-hyping stuff and not entirely delivering … but it was one of the best looking games on show at both E3 2013 and E3 2014 … but I’ll wait and see if the final product looks (or plays) anywhere near as good.

So with 2015 on the horizon, this gamer / blogger is very excited to see what it delivers.

Basking in the sunset

Posted on November 8, 2014 by Craig M

Well mostly all week I have been playing the Xbox One exclusive ‘Sunset Overdrive’ a very colourful, vibrant mix of cult favourite Jet Set Radio (aka Jet Grind Radio), Dead Rising and to some extent Ratchet & Clank. Designed by industry veterans Insomniac Games and following a ton of hype during development … I’m happy to report this game is an explosion of fun. The story isn’t anything special, something about a soft drinks firm whose latest energy drink has inadvertently turned many of the inhabitants of Sunset City into mutants, and you as one of a handful of survivors must find a way of escaping, whilst also going up against the mutant horde, other factions and Fizzco, the company behind it all.

For me the story plays secondary to the fun of just playing this game and exploring the hugely attractive city. This is certainly one of the best looking games yet for XB1, with high resolution textures, tons of colour (compared to many game’s muted colour pallets) and a fun traversal system where you can bounce off a wealth of objects (cars, boats, bushes, vents etc.) and grind on almost any surface, not to mention also being able to wall-run ala Prince of Persia. It’s very slick and makes getting around pure joy. I am loving doing some of the traversal challenges and then offering them up to people on my friends list.

There’s a bunch of colourful characters to interact with and get missions from, which are sometimes a lot of fetch quests but broken up with rescue missions and get from point A to point B before shit happens type stuff. It’s really entertaining though and the production values, including some near-Pixar quality cut scenes make this the real deal. I also like the fact you can not only create your character from the start, but customize him or her throughout, making this a very personalised experience for the player. The script also is very funny with many pop-culture and video-game culture references a-plenty.

It doesn’t seem overly difficult right now, even if dying brings with it a plethora of different and very funny re-spawn animations (fave? The Terminator), and some have knocked it’s OTT self referential approach … but I’m loving it. So if you enjoy colourful platformers and have played the likes of Jet Set or Dead Rising and enjoyed them, then this is the game for you!

Is that me doing a little demonstration … why, yes!

Ramblings…

Posted on September 7, 2014 by Craig M

Well it’s a bit of a lazy Sunday so thought I’d write something on here. This past year has had a few ups and downs … personally I’ve gone through some depression. However I think I have overcome most of it, and looking to a future where such a thing isn’t at the forefront of my thoughts (at least not as much). I’m concentrating on more positive things, like friends, family and my job, hobbies etc … things that make me happy. I suppose it’s all about appreciating the good things in life, rather than focusing on what’s missing from it.

In the coming months, as far as this blog is concerned, I have some stuff to look forward to. On the gaming front Destiny is just around the corner … preloaded it on my Xbox One last week, and well it’s been agonizing waiting for it to unlock but it will finally be available on Tuesday. I’ll report back on this long awaited, much anticipated game next week. Also got Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare pre-ordered, along with Sunset Overdrive. Both look amazing.

The Netflix challenge has hit the skids a bit, as I was feeling like it was less about movies I wanted to see, and more about doing the challenge, so not sure if I will go back to it. An interesting ‘experiment’ none the less. Some movie’s on the horizon include reviews of the Blu-ray release of Spirited Away, one of my favourite Studio Ghibli movies … add to that Hayao Myazaki’s swansong The Wind Rises. I also have the 15th Anniversary of The Green Mile pre-ordered, so will finally give my opinion on this much loved prison drama.

Towards the end of the year, it’s possible I may own a PS4. Can see that happening.

In other news: I have been closely following the news on my favourite band Garbage and looking forward to what they have planned for next year. They intend to re-release their debut album to mark it’s 20th anniversary, as well as their sixth studio album that they have been working on for the past year or so. Also a tour has been hinted at and if they make it back to the UK I have, to name one of their best tunes, made a ‘vow’ to see them this time around. Exciting times to be into this band who seem to really be in their element these days.

Well enough from me for the time being. Please remember to check back often for movie reviews and general ramblings and I’ll make sure to keep the content coming. I appreciate all my visitors and subscribers, those that press ‘like’ or offer their comments etc. Makes this little blog really mean a lot to me.

Craig.

X1 kicks off E3 2014

Posted on June 9, 2014 by Craig M

Well it’s day one of the E3 event in Los Angeles, an annual gaming event where publishers and game developers showcase all their big games for the next year or so. My verdict so far?

I watched the Microsoft event that showed off the upcoming games for the Xbox One and well, some underwhelming announcements… ‘Fable Legends’, ‘Phantom Dust’ (??) but games such as a new ‘Crackdown’ and the new exclusive from Platinum Games ‘Scalebound’, look very promising. Indie platformers ‘Ori and the Blind Forest’ and ‘Inside’ both look great also. The trailer for ‘Forza Horizon 2’ looked decent too, with some cool-looking weather effects.

Multi-platform titles showcased included ‘The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’, ‘The Division’ and ‘Assassins Creed: Unity’ … all of which looked lush, even if UbiSoft’s reputation for showing off gameplay footage running on high end PC hardware passed off as in-game Xbox One or PS4 gameplay is a concern, even if the controversy over the visual downgrade of Watch Dogs was a bit of a storm over nothing. The game still ended up looking awesome in my opinion. So we’ll wait and see. A brief trailer for ‘Rise of the Tomb Raider’ got me rather salivating though, I must admit. Love me some Lara Croft.

The other news coming in is that the new development tools given to developers to utilize the reserved graphics power for the Kinect, will mean better resolutions and visual performance for X1 games, which has to be a good thing. Oh and another trailer for ‘Sunset Overdrive’ got me, if possible even more excited.

So final thoughts, this was a good day for the Xbox One. No major showstoppers, but some very interesting announcements.