Of course PSN developers are hurting. Especially PSN-exclusive developers such as Q Games (responsible for the PixelJunk series). In some instances it’s their only source of income!
2011 is another great year for gaming
I’ve got to get my skates on. I’m still wading through Red Dead Redemption which I’m still loving (but it’s huge!) and that’s not to mention Undead Nightmare that I’ve yet to touch.
Meanwhile PixelJunk Shooter 2 is going in the sin bin. Permanently. So for now I’m just going to highlight a few select games that are going to be epic this year and what I’ll be hoping to play:
Portal 2
As I write this, the game is on its way in the post. I wasn’t originally going to buy it until it had come down in price, but it’s been a combination of not wanting to stumble across any spoilers, the fact the game is three times larger than the original, everyone’s freaking out about how good it is and that the PS3 version is the definitive version… of course I’ve had to jump on the bandwagon and offer up a few notes to the guys at Valve in exchange for a copy of the game. I couldn’t resist.
inFamous 2
This one’s going to be a pre-order as I absolutely loved the first game. That alone justifies its inclusion on this list. Let’s just say that improved graphics, storyline, new abilities, and tons more gameplay sweeten the deal? Access to Uncharted 3’s multiplayer beta seals the deal!
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
If I could only choose to buy one game this year, it would be Uncharted 3. From Uncharted’s humble origins in 2007, to worldwide anticipation in 2011- each game simply oozes quality. Beyond simply being ‘just another franchise’, so much love, blood, sweat and tears go into creating each game that they’ve become more than just games, they’re masterpieces (my opinion).
Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood gameplay
Seen as I’ve been playing quite a lot of Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood recently, I thought it would be the perfect game to show my latest addition to the blog: videos!
The following video has something for everyone: avid online gamers can watch my epic fails as I (admittedly) struggle through a couple of multiplayer games of ‘Wanted’, those wanting some action can watch as I lay waste to a large number of guards in the city of Rome, and my fan club can wince as my dulcet tones are compressed through a sub-standard microphone. Enjoy!
Edit 18/04/11: The video no longer exists thanks to Vimeo (boo, hiss), and so I’m now working on alternative videos for YouTube (yay).
I’ll post some in-depth details about the video on Sleight of Hand soon, but put briefly- I’m learning and yes, there’s a lot wrong with the video itself. It runs for about 40 mins which is way too long but I wanted to push the HD content, the running time, and the file size to the limit.
What do you think?
Update 30/03/11: For reference the post, ‘How I record gameplay from my PS3‘ is now up on Sleight of Hand.
The Da Vinci Disappearance
I previously covered Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood on the blog way back in December 2010. Towards the end of my review I said:
As for whether Brotherhood is significantly shorter than it’s predecessor, well, it’s definitely shorter, but not by much. I have completed the main story mode with a smattering of side missions in about 16 hours. 100% completion in AC II totalled a good 30 hours. To achieve the same in Brotherhood I’m estimating around 20 hours as a ballpark figure. So that gives you a game 2/3 the size as its predecessor.
‘When in Rome: Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood single player‘
It turns out that I underestimated the sheer amount of content the developers packed in to Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood. In fact, I’ve notched up 37 hours of gameplay within the historic walls of Rome. And that’s still just the single player.
So, what does this have to do with The Da Vinci Disappearance? Well, we’re talking about DLC that adds more gameplay to a game already fit-to-burst with content. The DLC itself isn’t anything particularly remarkable. If you’ve played through a good chunk of Assassin’s Creed II and/or Brotherhood, then there’s nothing new to see here.
What I’ve been playing this Winter
You might say that it’s been a rather slow couple of months for gaming. Of course, there’s been loads of gaming news going on but I’m not a news website and in all honesty I haven’t really been bothered passing comment on any news items.
However… I do have an opinion on the whole Next Generation Portable/PSP2 situation, but it’s going to have to wait until I get round to scribbling something for an article on ‘The future of portable gaming’.
The Nintendo 3DS is also a non-event for me as it’s more-or-less a DS but with 3D capabilities isn’t it? You can change the memory card format it takes and call it a new console, but come on. After the innovation with the Wii I have to say that Nintendo has really dropped the ball with this one. Again, I’m not going to explain why until my future article on portable gaming.
Why 3D is not the future of video
In the final days of 2010 I have managed to see my first 3D film: Tron Legacy. The experience has confirmed what I had already come to suspect, that 3D in its current incarnation is not the future of video, be it cinema, TV programmes, or video games.
That’s quite a bold statement to make, but I’ll gently walk you through what’s been buzzing around in my head for months. Let’s get the obvious stuff out of the way first: films, TV programmes, video games have traditionally been displayed in 2D. As human beings, we see in 3D.
Perception
So why hasn’t this bothered us before? Well, the human brain is a remarkable thing. We may not be able to number-crunch as well as computers, but the brain is able to make sense out of our chaotic and often unpredictable environment. As we look at a 2D photograph or video, we’re able to interpret what we see and ‘convert’ it into 3D in our minds.
Hands-on with Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit
I like my racing games, and Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit is no exception; I love it! You certainly feel the sheer speed and power of the licensed motors you’re driving and if anything, it certainly feels a lot faster than Burnout Paradise if that’s at all possible.
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit has been two years in development by Criterion Games, the developers of the Burnout series. Whilst this latest title in the Need for Speed series is a homage of sorts to 3DO’s original Need for Speed series in the late 90s, the game also evokes memories of Burnout 2: Point of Impact for me. It really does beg the question then: where does Need for Speed begin, and Burnout end?
Core Blaster PSN Code number 10
PSN giveaway code 10) G3MB-8ANH-DD83 for Core Blaster. Merry Christmas!
Black Ops connection problems: my chat with Activision
This is a follow-on post from Call of Duty: Black Ops connection problems. Whilst my previous post was more of a way to vent my frustration, as amusing as it may have been, I wasn’t been constructive. I don’t want to sue anyone or go marching in the streets about this issue, I just want the game fixed.
And so, after threatening to ring Activision in the aforementioned post, I actually did. My ‘incident’ got logged as ‘Black Ops is freezing when I play multiplayer online on my Playstation 3’. There’s more to it than that, but freezing is my main concern. It’s one thing to be kicked out of a match due to erroneous connection problems, but it’s another thing entirely to have your PS3 completely frozen, and having to reset it.
Continue reading Black Ops connection problems: my chat with Activision
Hands-on with Core Blaster & PSN code giveaway
Let’s jump right in, shall we? Core Blaster is a recently released minis game for both the PSP and PS3. To celebrate the recent launch of the game, the developers have given me 10 PSN codes to give away to my readers.
Core Blaster can best be described as Zuma-meets-PixelJunk Monsters. On each level there are incoming waves of radioactive cores that you’ve got to stop reaching the other side, and they travel on rails. Along these rails you’ve to purchase and build ‘core blasters’. Cores come in multiple colours, and core blasters can only shoot cores of the same colour.
Later levels see single colour-only rails, and fast rails which speed up the cores. The trick is that you’ve to carefully manage the location, amount, and type of blasters to ensure that as few cores as possible elude destruction. Each blaster can only attack one core at once, so you’ve got to choose tactics wisely!
Continue reading Hands-on with Core Blaster & PSN code giveaway