www.a51.org.uk

Consuming a healthy amount of suckers online everyday!


E3 2010

Just been watching the press conferences over the last few days and there seems to be plenty to get excited about towards the end of the year.

Microsoft – So Project Natal is now just called Kinect. I cringed at first but now I think the name is starting to grow on me, but I’m not sure if I’m convinced about the technology yet. It all seems a bit “too good to be true” and I have a horrible suspicion that the motion tracking involved won’t be precise enough to be used for anything other than fitness simulators and party games. Saying that, I really hope to be proved wrong on this!

Also, Gears of War 3 is looking amazing.

Nintendo – Well I actually missed most of this because it was apparently more important to go to Morrisons to get petrol and food. Misguided priorities there, eh!

I just get back in the house to witness the announcement of the Nintendo 3DS though. I have to say that I’m absolutely gagging to have a go on one of these as it sounds like Nintendo may have gone and done it all over again! Apparently the top screen on the new handheld is displayed in full 3D requiring no glasses using an auto-stereoscopic display. (Just google that term if you want more information, it’s takes a fair amount of explaining!)

My first impression was that it may be a bit of a gimmick that doesn’t really work that well. But then I remembered I thought the same thing about a dual screen handheld with a touch screen and a new console with motion control previously. So it’s probably safe to put a bit of trust in Nintendo by now as they’ve proven that they know what they are doing. They were also ready to let the whole E3 audience get up close and personal with the new hardware too which implies they are suitably confident about the technology.

New Zelda on Wii. (Damn, I need to catch up on all the previous Zelda games too!)

Sony – I’m starting to get a bit hyped up about Playstation Move now. My big issue with the Wii-mote is the lack of precision. You can play Wii Sports fine but the tracking just isn’t good enough to work in a first-person shooter or any other serious game. I’m hoping the blurb is accurate and that this is not the case with Move though. The technology certainly seems viable and believeable.

It’s great that Sony seems to be making a serious effort to push this technology into hardcore games too.

Strong support for the PSP. Well, I have to say I’m sceptical on this one as we had the same speech last year and apart a few new (albeit great) games it hasn’t really been pushed at all from what I can see. Come on Sony! Splash out on some proper TV advertising and make people more aware of the console. The PSP game section in GAME has almost disappeared!

Killzone 3 looked great. Would love to see this running in full 3D for myself!

Portal 2 and Gabe Newell from Valve. WOW! I didn’t see that one coming at all. At least Gabe had a bit of a joke and didn’t mention anything about sticking forks in anything! Portal 2 is definately one to watch and it will be interesting to see how they integrate the PS3 version into Steam.

There. My initial impressions on E3 anyway. I’ve probably forgotten loads more I wanted to comment on too. That’s the problem with E3 – Too much stuff going on!

Dead Space 2 as well…. I want!

Tags: , , ,
June 16, 2010 - 10:13 PM Comments (2)

One year later and RPGs are BIG!

It’s just dawned on me that I’ve been doing this blog for about a year now. Where did that time go?

Well, a reasonable chunk of the last couple of months has been spent on Final Fantasy XIII. I’m slightly ashamed to admit I’ve clocked up over 60 hours on it now…. Although the first 30 hours of saves went down the drain with my broken PS3. It died just as I was about to get to Gran Pulse. Annoying eh!

I’ve also just started Dragon Age Origins as I was tempted by it’s current £15 price tag. Although I’ve been reading about the “freezing bugs” on the PS3 since the release of Firmware 3.30 so I’m trying to hold off playing this too much until they get a patch out, as the thought of restarting another RPG from the beginning again isn’t my idea of fun! (Saying that, I’ve only had a single freeze but I’m being very cautious.)

Not sure where I’m finding the time to play all these games. Although I don’t think I’m getting as many hours sleep as I should!

Tags: , ,
May 9, 2010 - 9:49 PM Comments (2)

Go Team Sackboy!

Isn’t it great when an Xbox 360 advert reminds you of Little Big Planet on the Playstation 3: http://www.xbox.com/en-GB/live/bestoflive/connectnow.htm

It is a great tune though and it’s called Get It Together by The Go! Team.

The original album: Thunder, Lightning, Strike is well worth picking up too!

Tags: ,
March 19, 2010 - 10:23 PM No Comments

Little Bats a-sleepin’… Someone finish him off!

I’ve just finished the absolutely excellent Batman: Arkham Asylum and would recommend it to anyone and everyone! If you don’t have it already, go out and buy it. Right now! :)

Tags: , ,
January 14, 2010 - 1:01 AM Comments (2)

Is it (gaming) Christmas already?

Because it certainly seems like it. For example:

  • Steam are selling some really good games at stupidly low prices here: http://store.steampowered.com/early-holiday. The THQ complete pack for £26.49 is very tempting but I’d never get around to playing all the games.
  • XBox Live is allowing Silver accounts to play online for free all weekend as part of Xtival at http://www.xbox.com/en-GB/xtival09winter/.
  • Sony are giving us some free Uncharted 2 downloadable content as confirmed by C&VG
  • To celebrate Killzone’s fifth birthday it’s a Double XP weekend for Killzone 2 on the PS3 and there is the possibility of some free DLC at killzone.com

Not bad eh!

Tags: , , ,
November 27, 2009 - 7:07 PM Comments (4)

Modern, and Major, Warfare 2

Well, the Modern Warfare 2 release didn’t go too badly eh! Launch party in London’s Leicester Square and it sold 1.23 million copies on the first day in the UK alone (according to gamesindustry.biz).

I wasn’t planning on buying it but I couldn’t walk past it in Morrisons when it was priced at only £25.99. (So much for the £55 everyone was expecting to pay!)

Unfortunately I haven’t been able to get it online at all tonight. I’m hoping this is just a temporary glitch and Infinity Ward haven’t underestimated the amount of people trying to get online. (Surely they’d have to be completely stupid if that were the case though?)

Tags: , ,
November 11, 2009 - 10:42 PM Comment (1)

Why it’s almost been a month since I last posted…

Well, there have been far too many games to play this month!

A decent chunk of it has been spent on Uncharted 2. Amazing game and, you’ve heard it all before, but it definately sets a few new benchmarks on the PS3.

If that wasn’t enough I grabbed the Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City disc (had a few GAME points stored up so managed to get it for only £20!).

I was pleasantly surprised by “The Ballad of Gay Tony” as it pushes GTA back into the sort of complete madness last seen in San Andreas… Base jumping, drug wars, stealing trains carriages with helicopters and even a gold SMG! If you thought GTA IV took itself too seriously this might be worth another look for you.

It’s Modern Warfare 2 day tomorrow but I think I’m going to hold off on that one as I’ve still only barely started COD4! Too many games, not enough hours in a day :)

Tags: ,
November 9, 2009 - 10:06 PM Comments (3)

It’s Uncharted 2 week!

Anyone else looking forward to Uncharted 2 coming out this week on the PlayStation 3?

In anticipation I’ve dug out the original Uncharted and have been attempting to go through it again on Hard which is a damn sight less forgiving than Normal, unsurprisingly!

Also been keeping an eye on the Metacritic score and it’s currently showing a metascore of 97, signifying Universal Acclaim.

Well, I’m supposed to be broke but I’ll just have to find some spare cash from somewhere for Friday!u

Tags:
October 12, 2009 - 5:32 PM Comments (6)

Crash Commando price to be slashed on Playstation Store

More good news for those of us stuck in the UK and still gaming in a recession. The price of Crash Commando is being reduced for a couple of weeks on the Playstation Store.

I vaguely recall playing the demo when it was first released but it might be worth a second look now.

Here’s the official announcement from Sony:

From August 27, 2009 until September 10, 2009, Crash Commando will be reduced to half price, dropping from £7.99 to £3.99. If you’ve not grabbed the chance to blast your friends into oblivion, then there’s never been a better time to set your sights on the PSN game and arm yourself with its goodness.

Source: http://uk.playstation.com/games-media/news/articles/detail/item228090/Crash-Commandos-price-gets-shot-in-half/

Tags: ,
August 22, 2009 - 12:09 PM Comments (4)

Bionic Commando: Rearmed PS3 trophy patch now live in UK

It seems like an eternity since this game was released but now I have the perfect excuse to go back to it as the Playstation 3 trophy patch has finally been released.

They’ve also added in some alternative difficulty options which are very welcome. (This isn’t an easy game by anyone’s standards!)

But, no, you still can’t jump! :)

Tags: , ,
August 5, 2009 - 12:08 PM Comments (3)

« Older Entries