What should I play next?

Following on from looking at the top 5 games to watch out for in 2010, I’ve been giving some thought as to what I should be playing next.  PixelJunk Shooter has been completed, as has Burnout Paradise.  I’m doing one last play-through of inFamous, and that should cover it.  I’m after something that I can get my teeth stuck into.

As far as online multiplayer goes, the extra DLC for Uncharted 2 has me covered, as does the ever-addictive Modern Warfare 2.  That also means that I don’t really want to be playing yet another FPS, so that means MAG is out the window for now.

Heavy Rain has been recently released, but for what it is, I’m rather hesitant to be dropping £40 right now on such a release.  Instead, I’ve turned my attention to games that have been out for a while and have dropped in price quite a bit.  I’m currently thinking along the lines of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed,  DiRT 2, Resident Evil 5, The Saboteur, and Call of Juarez.

What I want to know is, am I missing something?  Also, do you have any idea what you might be playing next?

Rise up to the challenge

In contrast to a previous post on this subject, ‘Measuring Difficulty in Games‘ I’ve come up with an interesting slant on this topic.  I was having a chat with Rockers Delight and it sparked the ol’ grey matter into action.  I ask: Do you actually challenge yourself enough when it comes to gaming?

If you were to go to the gym and hit the treadmill, you’d set it at a level you’re comfortable with, then every now and then you might kick it up a gear and see how you cope with it.  Same with the weights room when you’re polishing those guns.  Ahem.  The point it, when trying to attain peak physical fitness, you don’t stay within your comfort zone, you try and raise the bar, up your game, and other clichés.

On a game like Modern Warfare 2 for example, I take the standard approach of having a play-through on regular difficulty before trying again on a harder difficulty level.  Rockers Delight prefers heading straight in on veteran or else she wouldn’t enjoy it.  When you’re at the top of your game, why not?  I’ve never started a game right from the beginning and put it straight onto hard, yet there’s always one exception to the rule…

Continue reading Rise up to the challenge

In Brief: shades of grey

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed playing through inFamous and being the hero.  But all those pleas for help… so many civilian casualties… all crying out for a hero.  To be perfectly honest it got a bit too much at times and I had to get away from it all.  Yet to get maximum-strength superpowers, the game forces you to either be worthy of a halo, or otherwise be downright evil.  There are no shades of grey.

So as I’d already played through the game once as a hero, it didn’t really sit well with me playing through again being evil just for the sake of it, it seemed.  I’d like a sequel for this franchise to be a bit more morally ambiguous.  Give me shades of grey.  Something substantial that I can really sink my teeth into.  Though I won’t deny, the dynamite combination of great controls and gameplay, and the immersive comic book storytelling has probably affected me more than I’ve realised.  Fantastic game.

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?

Access to Uncharted 2 Multiplayer beta with inFamous

Access to Uncharted 2 Multiplayer beta with inFamous– Well, this confirms the Uncharted 2 multiplayer rumours.  Still, I’d have much rather had a single player demo of Uncharted 2.  I guess this is better than nothing.  See also: all of Kotaku’s Uncharted 2 coverage.