Wishlist

For those who don't have time, or the required budget, playing every game that comes out is not always an easy option. Some of the following have been out a while but still games I'd like to pick up at some point when I get the chance to because of what I've seen about them.

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Far Cry 3: The most recent release of my selection is also one of my definite next purchases. I've been looking forward for this one for a while having been a major fan of Far Cry 2. Whilst you swap the African savanna and swamps for a beautiful tropical island, the game play is not dissimilar in that it focuses on survival. This time around, the game mechanics look much tighter and the gameplay more enjoyable with some of the elements from n.2 gone. No need to take malaria tablets to stay alive, no weapons that go rusty with time and no constantly re-spawning enemies. Stealth does seem to be an option in this one. As you might be able to tell, I'm a fan of the shooter genre and am quite partial to going into games guns blazing. However, on occasions, creeping up on unsuspecting enemies and silently eliminating them with a knife or silenced weapon can be a hugely enjoyable experience. A must buy once I've completed a few more of my current games! Like the last one, the story seems compelling too!

Spec Ops The Line: The story is supposedly extremely compelling, with influences from Apocalypse Now and Heart of Darkness. The ever-changing environments seem like an interesting feature and the gameplay seems solid. It will just be refreshing to properly immerse myself in a game with a good story.

Sniper Elite V2: I played through the demo and thoroughly enjoyed it, most notably the X-Ray vision when firing sniper rounds through enemy targets. Reminiscent of Mortal Kombat in that way, it's a game I've keen to get, especially if the Xbox gets the Nazi Zombie DLC the PC version has been lucky to receive. Playing the demo, the game felt like a genuine challenge, mainly because it takes me out of my comfort zone. Rather than being able to sit behind cover and machine gun anyone that get's too close, players have to be a little more tactful in Sniper Elite V2. Taking out as many targets from a good position with a Sniper and then keeping on the move so as not to be flanked by infantry. Your character isn't clad in thick steel armour so you will need to be quick on your feet. GOTY edition is available, so Rebellion, once that DLC comes out its a definite purchase! Especially after seeing Achievement Hunter's 'Let's Play'.

Battlefield 3 also deserves mention as although I've tended to stick with COD, I'm keen to try it out especially after the announcement of the next edition in the series. As does what was Generals 2 and is now just Command and Conquer.

Gears

Being a fan of the Gears of War series for sometime, I was keen to try out the multiplayer demo of the latest installment in the franchise, a prequel to the series titled Judgement. The single player revolves around fan favourites Baird and Cole, with Marcus and Dom surprisingly absent. From what I've read and seen, the game seems like the full package despite a few cuts and changes here and there, however I can't say I'm rushing out to get this one, especially with other games on my wishlist.

From what I tried out, it feels very similar to the tried and tested method. Though there are minor tweaks, it is still a third person cover based shooter. The new multuplayer mode Overrun is very enticing though, mixing the gameplay up a little by introducing classes to the mix, with more variation on the locust side but equally the COG humans have mixed abilities. For example, the humans have the more traditional engineers, medics, scouts and soldiers, each one with a different role within the team. Their primary objective though is always to defend and shoot as many locust as they can. When on the opposition side, the choice of beastie is a bit more varied. The abilities are not dissimilar but each character is based more on aggression and destruction. With unique abilities though, it can make from some interesting and varied tactics.

One could just swarm the COG with tickers (suicide grubs) in the initial stages of the round, destroying barriers and defences and any human stupid enough to stay still, or send in a more mixed crowd of grenadiers, a Kantus and scout snipers who can rage into beserker like creatures for a more strategic approach.

All in all, it makes for a really compelling mode and a good addition to the Gears franchise. However, with it have come omissions, such as the ever popular horde mode, which will be a disappointment to many.

Whilst I'm sure it's a good game, the modifications and the new story are not enough to make this one a purchase in the near future. I've over played 2 and would happily go back to 3 should I require a Gears of War fix.

Rocksmith

Anyone into Rock music or a similar genre will have always dreamed of playing their favourite songs on a guitar to an audience of fans and admirers. Obviously that requires learning to play and then being successful musician, with the first a necessary hindrance to those who lack the motivation. 

Learning to play an instrument has always been a desire of mine, to a degree. I tried my hand at the piano when I was young, though more out of my parents wish for me to learn than my own. On repeated occasions I have also given the guitar a go, though never with any real success. Most of the time I lost interest or just felt I wasn't really getting anywhere. I practiced a few chords and songs, and then just stopped. 

My interest though was sparked again recently after a friend mentioned Rocksmith. I'd seen the adverts and heard what it could supposedly do but hadn't really followed it up fearing it might just be another guitar hero in disguise. After being reminded though, I decided to see what it was all about. Obviously it hasn't been out long enough to really know whether it can take someone from part-time amateur plucker to this generations Jimi Hendrix but some of the reviews gave me an idea. What it was not was just another game that told you how to play a giant guitar shaped plastic controller, but a tool that might actually teach you something, an ambition which in itself I admired

The screen views resemble Guitar Hero but the notes are actual chords - much trickier!

For the most part, the reviews are always positive however the game seems to favour the more expereinced players, as it is generally them who are keener to learn. Your typical gamer is more likely to get bored or frustrated and switch over to something he/she knows is good at or can pick up more quickly. No one though said it was impossible. 

Though the £45 price-tag was not entirely appealing, I decided to give it a go and see whether it could actually work. After playing around with it last night, although I don't know any notes I can accompany the Rolling Stones' 'Satisfaction' with a few chords mastered... I think. At the very least I can play a simplified version of the memorable intro. So far, the pacing of the game seems right being constantly challenging but not so much that I just want to give up. Scoring each song also helps encourage me to do better with each attempt. 

From the 30 minutes I have played with it so far I can say I'm happy with it and am keen to continue. It will be interesting to see though where I am after just a week of having it, and not only whether I can keep it up, but whether it will continue to hold my interest.

More to follow eventually... 

Music

Went to see the incredible Bastille this weekend. Very good up and coming band who are getting a ton of airplay on the radio at the moment. Some great songs with an electronic/indie vibe going. Easy on the ears and perhaps one of my favourite bands at the moment. The video is a cover of Snap's (?) Rhythm is a Dancer which whilst not their most popular (ie: Pompeii) is one of my preferred and is excellent live.

Otherwise I'm listening to Woodkid's new album the Golden Age. Another one I've liked for a while, his first song Iron became popular when it became the soundtrack to the Assassin's Creed advert. Other good tracks include 'I love you', 'Run boy run' and 'Golden Age'. A mix of electronic with orchestral instrumentals, another good one to listen to when you get the chance.

Check out his videos on youtube. Orginally a video director who won awards for his work on Lana Del Ray's and Rihanna's, his own ones really show off his film talents as well as his musical ones. His 'Born to die remix' is a particularly good song, better even than the original. Unfortunately the link is just the song!

Games I'm playing at the moment:

Black Ops 2

Forza Horizon Demo

Minecraft (Xbox 360)

With little time to really dedicate to anything at the moment the latest COD seems to best way to get a bit of time on the Box. Like the iterations, the multiplayer in this one is just as faced paced, exciting and varied enough to keep it constantly interesting. Currently I've rediscovered the hardcore modes, which are in many ways far better than the standard modes. Not dissimilar to Counter Strike, only a bullet or two are required to take down a target meaning the player is much more vulnerable than normal. Long shoot outs a la Halo this is not.

I saw this on amazon for a mere £15 (Forza Horizon) and decided to give this a go. I've never been a huge racing fan, though I did enjoy the PGR games back on the old xbox and the new one. Forza though has never taken me. The price though seemed tempting so I gave it a go having heard good things about it. Whilst there's no question its a good driving game with pretty graphics, decent recordings of the car screams and race cars that handle well and realistically, I just wasn't that taken with the whole thing. I really appreciated the setting of the game: a music/car festival in a fictional city in Colorado. The views are fantastic, as are the weather effects which show off the games stunning lighting effects. Being set at a festival, the soundtrack is also killer, with so top UK dance and electronic tracks from last summer. Well worth a purchase if you are into racing, but not my cup of tea.

Yep I started playing minecraft again much to the annoyance of my family who find the zombie moans and the mooing cows rather frustrating to listen to. After hearing the game had received numerous updates with new items, changes to the world and terrain as various other fixes, I decided to see the improvements for myself by starting a new world. Whilst the core game is the same, the changes are good enough that I should keep at it at least until I've built something decent... 

That's all for now on the games I'm playing!

Post n.1

Hiya,

First post. This isn't I haven't tried before so bear with! I'm assuming no one reads these so it shouldn't be too much of an issue!

The point of this blog is to cover info that interests me on the worlds of gaming and technology, with some time dedicated to music, tv, sport and anything else I happen to come across.

So here we go.