It's hot, the sun is shining, the sky is clear and for many it's a no brainer that they should be outside. However for those with a plethora of games to play through, time to do that is not always easy to come by, especially for those that don't live on the ground floor.
Whilst getting some fresh evening air is enjoyable early on, I still found myself drawn to my Xbox later on, especially as I currently have a considerable collection of games to play, and little time to play them in.
For those with an Xbox Live Gold account, this year is perhaps a better one as each month we are being treated to two free games to keep! It may not be quite on par with what PSN has to offer but to be honest, I just don't have time to complete 5 games in a month with no option to keep them, so I'm thoroughly enjoying the service thus far. At the moment, the only two games to have been awarded are Fable 3 and Defense Grid, the latter being an Xbox Live Arcade title dating back a few years. However despite the complaints that the games are either sub-par or old, I have enjoyed them thoroughly thus far. Fable 3 is essentially a continuation of the second installment with a few modifications along the way, the most noticeable being the suppression of in game menus. Though it hasn't exactly set a trend, it's a novel way of dealing with otherwise endless lists of items and upgrades, though the result is that along with it have gone customisation options. Had I bought this, the lack of customisation available compared with Fable II may have annoyed me, but as it's "free", I happily continue. The fighting is solid if a little repetitive and the story so far is compelling enough to keep me wanting to play.
I did play the hell out of Fable II rendering this experience less charming and absorbing than my first time, but it's good nonetheless and I'm impressed with the talented voice acting employed for the main roles.
Defense Grid: The Awakening is the second free game out and despite being an old XBLA game is also thoroughly entertaining. A simple premise, you defend power orbs from invading aliens by reactivating the defense grid. This is done by purchasing towers to fend off the attacking horde. Though starting you off with only a few tower options and a couple off different types of enemy, the game gradually introduces you to new weapons and creatures, all of whom have different powers and abilities. The maps also get more complicated and varied. There is little story other than to defend the seemingly abandoned planet from the invaders, however the gameplay is good enough that you'll keep going back for more. Though I have just started playing, I'm currently enjoying this more than Fable. I have always enjoyed tower defence games and the fact that it's beautifully rendered in 3 dimensional world with a multitude of colours instead of the traditions top down 2D view has me hooked.
Other than that, Halo 4 has made it's way back into my disk tray having got bored of Borderlands 2 again (it really is the same thing over and over, though I do want to finish it), after playing through the first missions on legendary with a mate. Though challenging, so far it's not been as hard as previous Halo games, and is possibly more fun as a result. I've also had another crack at multiplayer which is still just as engaging, especially the Big Team Skirmish which has you carrying out objectives as opposed to just killing.
Finally I've also purchased Crysis, recently on sale for 400 MSP during the Ultimate Game Sale. Having never really played it I'm keen to give it a go and at that price, who can resist? I also am keen to start playing Rocksmith again, though I can't see a really ideal time to play, as well as perhaps get a bit further in Ghost Recon Future Soldier in maximum difficulty. So one can see why the sun has been less of an interest recently...
