Thursday, 10 January 2008
Darth Vader in Soul Caliber 4!!!!
1up.com have recently uncovered the truth about the new Soul Cal secret Characters; Darth Vader and Yoda! This exciting news came yesterday as 1up writers got new screens and new footage of the little green man and the big black man fighting against some of the best known original Soul Calibur characters. They won't be locking sabers together however, as Darth Vader makes an appearance on the PS3 version and Yoda on the Xbox360 version (note the colours, insert laughter track here). This comes as no surprise considering that in the previous version of Soul Calibur, the three consoles had three separate secret characters in the form of Link for GC, Spawn for XB and Heihachi (tekken) for PS2. The new screens and new trailer look awesome! Can't wait!
WeGame.com
Just discovered this new site that's like YouTube for gamers. If I'm behind the times, sorry! wegame.com supplies users with the software to capture their best gaming moments and upload them. This is the end of crappy filmed-through-camera-off-the-telly stuff for gaming and allows more and more gamers to show their hacks and best runs at almost all games. The best rated videos are on the homepage and if you want to see videos of a certain game, they are categorised in that way too. This is going to take off in a big way for gamers!
Wednesday, 9 January 2008
NFL Tour Preview
Being a big fan of Madden in this country can be difficult. Firstly, I have no one to play it with because nobody over here understands how to play it, except for one person in my case; and Secondly, going online to play with others involves me getting my arse kicked by a 12 year old Tom Brady who knows EVERYTHING there is to know about the New England defence and subsequently sacks my Eli Manning on every play by blitzing on the weak side. If this is already getting too technical then you know how I feel. So, EA BIG, one of my favourite developers created a "Street" version on Madden to match the popular NBA Street series in order to glamorise and simplify the game. This turned out to be a terrible waste with tricks and stupidity taking away from the game what it is in essence. Now though, they've gone away and thought about things and have decided to take NFL on Tour.
NFL Tour is basically going to annoy the hell out of anyone who really loves Madden because it is a stripped down version with a lot more glamour. They have done away with the Street look, opting for an AstroTurf, carnivally feel. The players are all in uniform but there are no helmets or padding. Fireworks go off every time you score a touchdown and touchdowns are a lot easier to score. It's a 7 v 7 and the pitch is smaller. The beauty of it all though lies in the gameplay.
Being a 7 v 7 and looking more like flag football than actual NFL rules makes the game easier to understand for beginners and the idea that there is no kicking in the game at all means that there are not as many tactics to try and understand. The plays range from very simple to very inventive but are always more fun than that in a Madden game. In fact, at times it may feel like you are playing a College play and that's exactly how it should feel.
When on a run, you can shake off tackles and run up the walls to get past your opponent which makes it feel like you're going somewhere. On the opposite side of the ball you can come up with a massive hit that sends the player back yards so it's not just a one sided affair.
This game looks great to me because it's the kind of game that NFL fans can play with their non-NFL-loving mates and have a good time. It might look ridiculous but you can tell it's going to be fun! Watch this space!
NFL Tour is basically going to annoy the hell out of anyone who really loves Madden because it is a stripped down version with a lot more glamour. They have done away with the Street look, opting for an AstroTurf, carnivally feel. The players are all in uniform but there are no helmets or padding. Fireworks go off every time you score a touchdown and touchdowns are a lot easier to score. It's a 7 v 7 and the pitch is smaller. The beauty of it all though lies in the gameplay.
Being a 7 v 7 and looking more like flag football than actual NFL rules makes the game easier to understand for beginners and the idea that there is no kicking in the game at all means that there are not as many tactics to try and understand. The plays range from very simple to very inventive but are always more fun than that in a Madden game. In fact, at times it may feel like you are playing a College play and that's exactly how it should feel.
When on a run, you can shake off tackles and run up the walls to get past your opponent which makes it feel like you're going somewhere. On the opposite side of the ball you can come up with a massive hit that sends the player back yards so it's not just a one sided affair.
This game looks great to me because it's the kind of game that NFL fans can play with their non-NFL-loving mates and have a good time. It might look ridiculous but you can tell it's going to be fun! Watch this space!
Lego Batman
One of the most unexpectedly brilliant releases for Xbox360 was that of Lego:Starwars. I don't know about you but I feel like the Star Wars franchise of games has been... well, absolutely terrible! And the Lego games, while probably the most fun for kids, have never really managed to grasp me. That's probably why, I was never holding high hopes for a Lego: Star Wars cross. Low and behold, they made an absolute stormer of a game. Everything you love about Star Wars and everything you love about Lego all mixed up in an amazing game engine which really puts the Star Wars universe into another light. There was great gameplay, you didn't care about the limited graphics and it really caught hold of the older fans with the original trilogy being retold in the best way. There were tonnes of cool unlockables and a great co-op mode. All round great game.
So, what next? I'll tell you what! BATMAN! And with the new age Batman being so popular, it might come as a surprise that they've gone back to the old tv series style Batman and Robin and it looks brilliant. I think this is a great move because I'm hoping that the cartoony nature of the lego can bring out the best in the old style. They took it back to the original with the Star Wars and they're doing the same here!
This might not be news to you but these new screens will be!
And in other news, denofgeek have been kind enough to publish some of these articles to their site. Cheers, guys!
So, what next? I'll tell you what! BATMAN! And with the new age Batman being so popular, it might come as a surprise that they've gone back to the old tv series style Batman and Robin and it looks brilliant. I think this is a great move because I'm hoping that the cartoony nature of the lego can bring out the best in the old style. They took it back to the original with the Star Wars and they're doing the same here!
This might not be news to you but these new screens will be!
And in other news, denofgeek have been kind enough to publish some of these articles to their site. Cheers, guys!
Tuesday, 8 January 2008
Best Console?
So this may seem like a difficult question to answer. I have played all the three big contenders extensively. I'm not counting PC here because it's in a league of its own. I'm also not including handheld here. This is about the three that are in direct competition; Wii, Xbox360 and PS3.
To kick this off, I might just deal with a little separation. I think you know what I'm talking about. Wii is a completely different system to the other two. For starters its not really a next gen console. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, the price has dropped and they are relying on an innovative control system. It aims at a different audience (kind of) and plays different games. The point at which I think the major difference lies is the style of games. You are unlikely to see the in-depth single player games on this system that you might see on the 360 or PS3. What this console excels in is the multiplayer "party" games. Everyone knows that Wii Sports is amazing fun and while it's no simulator, its a great pick-up-and-play game. The problem is that these kind of games are all that the console can really make. Even the critically acclaimed Mario Galaxy has party elements. When it's hardcore gaming you're after, the Wii doesn't cut it.
So, on to the big guns! And when I say big, I mean big and expensive. You are likely to have to pay £250 for an Xbox360 and at least £300 (and you really would want to spend more) for a PS3. These are also two different consoles. With PS3 claiming the more impressive hardware, it would seem to be the winner but somehow it can't boast the games catalogue that the 360 has. There are seemingly less and less games that Sony can claim as their own. With the next, and highly anticipated, Grand Theft Auto 4 being released on both and Sony's powerhouse Metal Gear Solid franchise also being snapped up by Microsoft, there are less and less games that are PS3 exclusives. Think of all the exclusives on Xbox (DOA, Dead Rising and more recently Mass Effect) and there's where the gold is.
Online, the systems are widely different. Microsoft have had the online going for some time. They knew how to present it, they knew the ups and the downs of their previous service and in this game, experience is everything. Playstation 2 tried to give online to its players but it was absolutely terrible. Now that they have cracked it, it still feels like you're just playing the game. On Xbox live, you feel like you're connecting to people whereas the PS3 online feels like you're connecting to the game. I have played both, a lot, and Xbox live seems like a more complete online experience.
Since I'm starting to sound like an advert for 360 I will say that the missing HD-DVD drive on the 360 sucks. When you buy a PS3, you're buying a media centre. The Blu-ray player is a great piece of extra hardware to own. With stand-alone blu-ray players costing in the region of £500, this is a bargain of sorts.
Basically, if anyone can't see which one I prefer hear, you need to stop reading between the lines and actually read the lines. Xbox 360 is the better all round console. Price isn't too bad, games are amazing and the overall experience is great. And don't worry about all the talk of the ring of death; yes the console gets hot but unless you are an idiot and block the fans, you'll be fine!
(The Wii gets a special mention for being a better "party" console and the PS3 for being a better media centre.)
To kick this off, I might just deal with a little separation. I think you know what I'm talking about. Wii is a completely different system to the other two. For starters its not really a next gen console. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, the price has dropped and they are relying on an innovative control system. It aims at a different audience (kind of) and plays different games. The point at which I think the major difference lies is the style of games. You are unlikely to see the in-depth single player games on this system that you might see on the 360 or PS3. What this console excels in is the multiplayer "party" games. Everyone knows that Wii Sports is amazing fun and while it's no simulator, its a great pick-up-and-play game. The problem is that these kind of games are all that the console can really make. Even the critically acclaimed Mario Galaxy has party elements. When it's hardcore gaming you're after, the Wii doesn't cut it.
So, on to the big guns! And when I say big, I mean big and expensive. You are likely to have to pay £250 for an Xbox360 and at least £300 (and you really would want to spend more) for a PS3. These are also two different consoles. With PS3 claiming the more impressive hardware, it would seem to be the winner but somehow it can't boast the games catalogue that the 360 has. There are seemingly less and less games that Sony can claim as their own. With the next, and highly anticipated, Grand Theft Auto 4 being released on both and Sony's powerhouse Metal Gear Solid franchise also being snapped up by Microsoft, there are less and less games that are PS3 exclusives. Think of all the exclusives on Xbox (DOA, Dead Rising and more recently Mass Effect) and there's where the gold is.
Online, the systems are widely different. Microsoft have had the online going for some time. They knew how to present it, they knew the ups and the downs of their previous service and in this game, experience is everything. Playstation 2 tried to give online to its players but it was absolutely terrible. Now that they have cracked it, it still feels like you're just playing the game. On Xbox live, you feel like you're connecting to people whereas the PS3 online feels like you're connecting to the game. I have played both, a lot, and Xbox live seems like a more complete online experience.
Since I'm starting to sound like an advert for 360 I will say that the missing HD-DVD drive on the 360 sucks. When you buy a PS3, you're buying a media centre. The Blu-ray player is a great piece of extra hardware to own. With stand-alone blu-ray players costing in the region of £500, this is a bargain of sorts.
Basically, if anyone can't see which one I prefer hear, you need to stop reading between the lines and actually read the lines. Xbox 360 is the better all round console. Price isn't too bad, games are amazing and the overall experience is great. And don't worry about all the talk of the ring of death; yes the console gets hot but unless you are an idiot and block the fans, you'll be fine!
(The Wii gets a special mention for being a better "party" console and the PS3 for being a better media centre.)
Tuesday, 1 January 2008
Real Weighted Companion Cube
This is awesome. Portal is amazing; brilliant idea for a game dynamic, great soundtrack (with the crazy computer voice and the drone guns, not to mention the song at the end), brilliant characters, including the weighted companion cube, which some guy in America got a wooden one made for him by his wife, what a legend she must be! Seriously, Portal is the best!
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