Author: Adam

Thoughts on Assassin’s Creed II

I hope that you’ve figured out by now that I don’t do reviews (even if I’m guilty of filing these articles in the ‘review’ category).  In my mind, a decent review takes considerable time: exploring every square inch of the game, playing through on multiple difficulty levels, and analysing both audio and visual quality with pain-staking precision in a lab, somewhere in Switzerland.  Probably.

My method just involves playing the game, really, like any other gamer would.  I play it, and from that I either love it or hate it.  Or somewhere in between.    As simple as that.  You get the gist.

In an interesting twist, the first game was the subject of my very first post on this blog.

An old friend returns

And so, just like that, with a quick recap of what happened in the previous game, Assassin’s Creed II begins straight after.  I don’t know what you thought of the opening, but I felt it was particularly weak: the graphics appeared sub-standard and the whole voice acting/character interaction was more wooden than any boat or vessel you’re likely to encounter in either the Holy Lands or Renaissance Italy.  Maybe Uncharted 2 had spoilt me, as it had definitely raised the bar for what could be achieved in tis regard in a video game.  Nevertheless, it had me worried.  But having said that, such ‘back in the real world moments’ were equally as weak in the first Assassin’s Creed.

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PlayStation Network gets video

It’s here!  It’s finally here!  Video will be available to purchase/rent on the PlayStation Store tomorrow (19th), or as SCEE like to call it: the video delivery service.  I accidentally came across the information just now when reading a SCEE press release on one of my old email accounts.  In the future, I can see myself using this service a lot.  Neat.

Is 2009 a Vintage Year For Games?

I can’t believe my luck this year: I’m an avid gamer, and I find myself spoilt for choice at the moment.  This is one of those years in which the sheer amount of quality games releases have well and truly out-stripped my budget!  With several games that could legitimately be called ‘Game Of The Year’, I’ve been wondering if 2009 could be called a vintage year for video games?

SO, let’s take a look at some of them, shall we?

Killzone 2 (February 2009)

Correct me if I’m wrong, but Killzone 2 kicked off the start of the year’s gaming heavyweights with a solid FPS following on from the events in the first game on the PS2.  Killzone is to the PlayStation franchise like Halo is to the Xbox franchise.  Now, I love my FPS games, but Killzone 2 just didn’t do it for me.  Graphics to die for and gameplay to match?  Is that not enough for me?!  Well, I only have so much money this year, and I have been saving my money for the big releases in the last half of the year.  I’m not ruling out buying this at bargain basement prices in the future.

Resident Evil 5 (March 2009)

Resi followed on in fine form with perhaps a repetitive formula (pardon the pun) but with great visuals, a new and interesting setting for the series so far, and good gameplay.  I get scared silly with zombies and their kind, which is why I’ve avoided this release so far.  Maybe I’ll pick up this game in the future just out of curiosity.  But seriously, zombies.  I shudder at the thought.

Continue reading Is 2009 a Vintage Year For Games?

Uncharted 2 Is Epic

When I found out that one of my favourite games of all time, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, was getting a sequel I already knew it was going to be great.  I mean, it had to be, right?  With Naughty Dog constantly striving to push the bar ever-higher and with the PS3 as a platform, great things were going to be accomplished.  The end product is a masterpiece.  Every PS3 gamer should grab a copy- heck anyone who’s remotely interested in gaming should pay some serious attention.  Uncharted 2 has set a new standard in video games for character interaction, visuals, and gameplay.

Some people will have you believe that Uncharted 2 is the video game of the century, but in my eyes it is simply the game of the moment.  And rightly so.  The original Uncharted’s perks and flaws weigh quite heavily in my opinion of its sequel, leading me to reach a different conclusion to the majority of the gaming press.  The original for me, remains a classic and perhaps purer experience.  In some respects it felt like next-generation gaming due to intelligent level design.  Exploring the Fortress immediately springs to mind: remaining local to one area, gradually scaling different levels and reaching new areas.  In contrast Uncharted 2 flits back and forth between a myriad of locations a la Indiana Jones.  This is no bad thing in itself, it’s just that as in my opinion there was nothing particularly bad about the original game, it means I’ve not fallen in love with the sequel like most people have.

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Hands-on with the Uncharted 2 multiplayer beta

If you’re reading this and you’ve not yet played the beta, then yes, either by robbing a bank or bribing Naughty Dog you somehow need to get into the Uncharted 2 multiplayer beta right now.  It’s that good.  For those who have pre-order Uncharted 2 or managed to snag a beta key, access is granted from September 15th.  I’m led to believe that general availability of the beta is September 29th.

My initial thoughts:  graphics are dripping with quality, gameplay is solid and spot-on, and overall it’s serious fun!

I dn’t know where to start with this initial hands-on look.  I suppose I’d like to mention first that I was very, very sceptical of the prospect of multiplayer within the Uncharted franchise.  After all, the original Uncharted remains my favourite game so far, and going through the single player adventure was enjoyable, but it was my experience, and so Uncharted felt like my personal, special game and I didn’t really want to share it with anyone.

Now that my disclosure is out of the way, I’d like to tell you right now that everything I thought before was wrong.  Naughty Dog have treated the Uncharted franchise with continuity, fluidity, and respect.  So much so that the multiplayer experience behaves and feels like the authentic Uncharted experience you remembered from the first game: perfect.  Added game mechanics, such as grabbing riot shields for cover, and lugging around heavy relics, feel like natural extensions to existing abilities.

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Filtered: Gamescom 09

I’ve been catching up on all of the announcements focusing on the PlayStation brand at Gamescom 09.  I’d like to share with you a list news items that have caught my eye and what I think about them:

  • PS3 Slim– About time!  The reduced price has been needed for months, the brand cleanup is a wise move, and Sony have finally found a voice with their marketing campaign!
  • LocoRoco Midnight Carnival– I’m a die-hard LocoRoco fan, and this upcoming PSN download looks really… well, fun!  New gameplay mechanics should keep things fresh.
  • PlayStation Home update– universal game launching from within Home looks quite compelling, but there are still numerous problems with accessing Home for some people: downloading areas, connection issues etc, that might prevent them from utilising this functionality.
  • Digital Comics Store for PSP– I’ve got to hand it to Sony- this looks pretty damn sweet!  Why has it taken this long though?!  Unfortunately though, it’s only for the US at the moment.  Boo.  Hiss.
  • New Uncharted 2 footage goes without saying *drools*
  • Firmware 3.0– Hopefully this should expose ‘what’s new’ on the PlayStation Store, and across the PlayStation Network, helping people feel more connected to the PlayStation community and kept up-to-date with what’s going on.  The rest of the firmware update is incidental in my opinion.
  • LittleBigPlanet Water!– This should be a very interesting new game mechanic, and may persuade me to visit LittleBigPlanet once again.

And that’s it!  If there’s anything I’ve missed, I’ve either forgotten about it, or I’m not really bothered about it.

Uncharted 2 could not happen on Xbox 360

Ars Technica has a detailed and informative interview with Christophe Balestra, co-president of Naughty Dog about why Uncharted 2 couldn’t be made on the 360; involving the technology utilised behind the scences, but crucially Naughty Dog’s role and responsibility of being a first party developer and how their experience feeds into the wider developer community.

Talking Heads: Social Gaming- Is the PS3 Disconnected?

In what I hope to be the first of many different formats and collaberations on this blog, I talk to fellow gamer Rockers Delight about social gaming and how the PS3 compares against the Xbox 360 in this regard.  In the following transcript Los Havros will be denoted with LH and Rockers Delight with RD.

LH: Thanks for taking time out to have a chat!  We’re going to be talking about the PS3 and its lack of social connectivity.  I have to admit, I’m a bit confused here.  I couldn’t help but notice some of your recent tweets noting that for you the PS3 user experience feels a bit ‘disconnected’, ‘unsociable’… your ‘loner console’.

I find this area of debate fascinating, but could you expand on what you mean.  Is it simply a lack of cross-game chat, or is it more?

RD: Hey, Los Havros! You are indeed right, more than once I’ve referred to the PlayStation 3 as my ‘loner console’, most recently spurred by a 360 gamer switching to PS3 and Tweeting the same thing.

Let me point out, though, that despite my feelings of solitary with my PS3, all my real life friends are in fact PS3 gamers, not 360. So, despite being new to the console, I do actually have a decent-sized friends list.

It’s difficult to know where to start, and to also refrain from sharing all my thoughts on this at once. To sum up how social a console the 360 can be, it feels like you’re missing a leg if not connected to Xbox Live. PS3, on the other hand, wouldn’t make much difference to me if I was playing online or offline.

The fact the PlayStation 3 is sold without any device for communicating is a good starting point. It shows that connectivity between gamers isn’t a priority for Sony, unlike Microsoft who box every console with a basic headset.

Continue reading Talking Heads: Social Gaming- Is the PS3 Disconnected?