Over the last few days, i’ve once again been playing operation clean-up in my spare room, attempting to clear out some of the vast quantities of crap that i’ve accumulated over the years. Mix the comic book guy from the Simpsons and one of those strange hoarders that you sometimes see on TV and you have me….well, i’ve not reached the point where i’m saving my own excrement in plastic bags yet, but you get the idea. Video games, consoles, magazines, posters, action figures…you name it, I have it in piles in my spare room. (more…)
A pleasant trip down memory lane…I hope you enjoy.
Halo Anniversary, reaching 100 subs and thoughts regarding having a Youtube channel.
Hey guys, just a quick one.
Recently, as in the last couple of days, I reached the 100 subs mark on my Youtube channel (it’s actually 101 now, thanks to some awesome bastard), so as a wee celebration on me getting into three-figures, i’ve made a new video. (more…)
Resident Evil 6 official trailer…release date and some thoughts.
Come on…don’t act so surprised…like a new Call of Duty, the sun rising in the morning and thick as fuck idiots on the latest Big Brother, a new game in the Resident Evil series has been announced and shouldn’t really catch anyone off guard. (more…)
Halo anniversary review
Now that Bungie have handed over the Halo reigns to 343 Industries, it was up to them to make a mark on Halo. So, as a stop gap to the new Halo trilogy, 343 Industries have jumped in and given the original Halo game a HD makeover. Fans of the Halo franchise would have dived in on day 1 and purchased the game, but seeing as how I got it as a christmas pressy and i’ve been on my hols for a fortnight, i’ve only just finished it. So is it worth a purchase?
The story:
If you don’t know what the Halo series is about, hand in your gaming card right now.
What I liked:
I have to admit, I was pretty excited in diving into the game. I have fond memories of my first playthrough of the game, and i’m happy to say that after all these years Halo still stands up to games released today. It’s a testament to Bungie and the original design of the game that it still feels fresh, even after all the Halo sequels. The whole ethos of “30 seconds of fun” continues does just that, as firefight slips into a quiet moment which allows you to gather your thoughts and re-equip, then back into a vehicle section, then another firefight, then a story moment. The opening level in the Pillar of Autumn still excites, with a tense battle leading up to the escape to the surface of Halo, and with the new HD polish arriving on said galactic ring invokes a sense of wonder about the new environment.The character models have also had a rebuffing, some of the Elites look amazing. The Master chief model is fantastic, and you can now make out all of the mutations and squidgy bits and parts of the Flood, which makes them even more puke-inducing, if that’s possible. Pressing the back button while playing switches from the new HD gloss and the original version of the game, and it’s really worth doing it every now and again just to see how almost completely different the game looks in certain parts.
And it still plays like a blinder! The A.I of the enemies destroys most modern games efforts “ahem…..Goldeneye reloaded” and battles can be tense. Certain weapons, such as the magnum, feel even more overpowered that I remember, popping one shot off into the back of a rampaging Hunter kills it in a single shot. The Needler too feels a lot more savage in this version that what I originally remember, which allowed me to experiment with more of the Covanant weaponry than I ever did first time around. Most of the levels still stand up today, the silent Cartographer being one of them. And there is a whole load of replay value, with skulls to collect and achievements for completing certain sections without dying, in a certain time limit or with no marine casualties. Co-op is of course in there, plus load of new multiplayer maps, made with the Halo: Reach engine and a new firefight map as well. So all in all it’s a fantastic package for Halo fans.
What I loathed:
The Library. The fucking Library. One of the most frustrating and bland levels in a game. Of course you have to play through it, and it’s still as ball-busting a task as ever. The frustration is lifted if you drag someone kicking and screaming into the level with you in co-op, but it still sucks ass. That’s pretty much it. The time delay between swtiching from the HD to original modes is longer than it looked from previews, maybe 2-3 seconds, so you DON’T want to to it while you’re in a battle. And some of the BIGGER set pieces kind of lose their impact somewhat, just down to there not being that many character models being involved. But for a 10-yr old game that’s kicking it in the teeth a little.
The verdict:
Halo Anniversary is a cracking game. If you never played the first game get it now! It’s still furious and more importantly fun, the new HD sheen brings it up to the standards of today, and with co-op and multiplayer modes and ingredients that shaped the FPS scene today it’s not only good value, but a great revisit to a game that arguably gave us conventions that we take for granted today. Just get a friend to go through the Library with you.
Score: 8/10
Halo anniversary is available now on the Xbox 360.
New demo roundup.
Just a quick post today, as you may have seen them already.
Some pretty cool new demos are doing the rounds. The first is for the upcoming Capcom god/demon bashing game, Asura’s Wrath. It’s balls-out mental, and even though it’s a bit “quick-timey” it’s a joy to mess around with. The full game is released on the 24th February. (more…)
My new year gaming resolution.
Well, it’s a new year if you haven’t noticed. 2012 is well and truly upon us, and barring the Mayan prediction that the world will come to a fiery end it’s probably going to be another cracking year for gaming. To be honest though, this gen has pretty much had something awesome going on every single year. Last year was no different. With such amazing games as Uncharted 3, Gears of War 3 and Skyrim there was a bumber crop of AAA titles released. And with so many good games coming out, it always leaves me, and many other gamers I know with a problem….one i’ve chosen to address this year. (more…)
Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath review. (Playstation 3)
Well, it’s been a while, but we now have a new Oddworld game to play through. Ok, ok…not actually new, but a HD spit and polish of the 2005 game, originally released on the Xbox. It was a classic game that was criminally overlooked at the time, and not a great deal of people ever played it. Now it’s back, with the team at Just Add Water taking the helm of future Oddworld titles and this HD remake if the first of many more Oddworld titles to come. For those people that played it the game is held in very high regard. So, is it worth downloading, or is it better left as a fond memory? Read on, my friend…. (more…)
Saints Row: The third Guest review. (Xbox 360)
It’s another game that i’ll probably never get around to playing (seeing as how I still have the 1st game on my shelf around 10% done), so it’s time for another guest review, again from my good mate Declan. If you missed his other guest review he kindly did for me, you can check out his thoughts on Skyrim by clicking right here. Go and give the guy a follow on Twitter too…..he’s a motivational trainer by trade, but he doesn’t half like his videogames. So over to you Dex. (more…)
RAGE (Xbox 360) The first ten minutes…
After sitting on the fence about the game for a while, I picked up ID software’s latest effort “RAGE” today. Gamestation have it in for the cheap and cheerful price of £19.99. So I thought as I delved into their latest masterpiece i’d record the first ten minutes, just in case, like me, you have held off and are wondering what it’s like. (more…)
Eggciting news? This gamer says yes….
Short and sweet…..Codemasters are teasing something Dizzy related. HD remakes of past games? A whole new title? Who cares….it’s Dizzy.
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