EA Pimp Slapped Me

Well being asked to write about digital distribution got my heart racing all fast-like. See I'm new to the scene and so far I must say that I'm vastly impressed with the amount that Steam offers for so little. I'm not impressed, however, with EA's addition into this growing commodity that threatens to destroy brick and mortar retailers.

Origin.

The name even makes me want to vomit my insides out onto the wall of the money whores like EB Games. What is the point of having games on the digital distribution program at the same price as the disc version? Never mind the fact that there are new release games on Steam (which is already established in it's own right) for at least two thirds of the price. That's not accounting for the various sales held daily which, in some cases, slashes games by up to 80% or more!

What possible reason could they have other than attempting to cheat the gamers out of their hard earned cash. While finding the time to simultaneously dishing out a cold, wet slap from their pimp hand directly to the intelligence of every sane-minded gamer around.

Retailers traditionally take their cut of the price before giving any profits to the developers, the digital distribution completely eradicates that problem, which is good for developers and consumers alike. There is no real reason as to why they EA charge what they do, nor why they think they can get away with it. Going so far as to now completely stop Steam from releasing Battlefield 3 in order for them to be the only ones who profit from the venture. This has subsequently created a swift reaction from their Steam community going so far as to boycott the game until a Steam release.

Steam ushered me into the cinema of digital distribution, offering me my popcorn, Skittles and a large Solo. Even puffing the cushion on my seat for extra comfort. EA however yanked me in, raped my consumerist values and sat me down on a bed of nails.

The future is digital distribution, there is no denying the advantages which are associated with it for both company and consumer. That is, as long as Steam are involved and EA and it's Origin are not.

Are We Losing Originality In Our Games?

Over the past 30 years we have been treated to some of the greatest stories known to man. Ranging from time travellers saving the very fabric of time itself, down to a fat plumber who is saving his princess. How he actually caught her in the first place is questionable though. What made each memorable story of the past stand out? It had it's own originality, either in the actual narrative or the mechanics of the actual game itself. Yes we have had talented writers and developers over the years, and even to this day we still do if we take a quick glimpse at the indie scene. Why then are games either being rehashed for full price or franchises being run into the ground with sequels and trilogy's that really aren't needed.

Take Bungee's immensely popular “Halo” series on the Xbox/360/PC for instance. The original game was built up to be one of the most influential and commercial hits of the past 10 years. Lauded world wide for its innovation, the series is now a staple for Microsoft and a major weapon in the console wars. This is evident with the franchise now having a new trilogy announced at the latest E3. Not a new game in the series though, oh no, a trilogy as well as a high-definition remake of the original. Surely this is going a bit far, truly this is the definition of running a series into the ground for the blood-money of millions. Oh and just so you know, Bungee have left the series and palmed off this new trilogy to the lesser known “343 Industries”.

It seems like any game which does well commercially is going to have a sequel, which is understandable. What really irks me though is the lack of creativity from many mainstream publishing studios. Many of the games which are on the radar for this year are sequels such as Battlefield 3, Modern Warfare 3, Assassins Creed: Revelations, you get the point. Each of these series rightly deserves these sequels, don't get me wrong, but why can't the developers take a chance?

The only reason many of these series even have sequels is because they took a chance on a previously unknown game idea. While not a direct comparison if we take a gander at the Apple store we can see millions of games, some bad yet some bursting with creativity. Would it be that much of an ask for the corporations to give these indie developers a platform from which to metaphorically spread their wings from? Apple have done it and I'm sure they would never look back upon that chance.

I can name many a series which should have ended at the first or second game, but were rehashed until they were effectively put into the category of “for fans only”. It is these games where the studios are wasting their time, talent and resources in creating, simply relying on the game name to sell. With so many talented writers and developers around the tools for creation must be unleashed upon the world. If this is done and corporations and even smaller companies take notice of the results, the gaming community as a whole can and will benefit. This will create more opportunities and this will create much higher quality games in general.

The Witcher - First Impressions

First things first, I was looking forward to The Witcher. I really was, honest! I even made a promise of a review on my blog for it. I went out to JB Hi-Fi, I took my eftpos card out of the wallet, swiped my life away and specially bought the enhanced edition. I was excited, I couldn't wait to get home and play this game which I'd heard nothing but rave reviews about. Sadly I was wrong, oh so very wrong. So wrong in fact that I can't give a review, I can only give a “First Impressions” that in no way took the full game into context, but only the first 5-6 hours.

Why you say? Oh why can't you give a review didn't you at least play the game?

To that I say codswallop, to truthfully review a game you must have at least played most of the game and as I said before, I couldn't bare forcing my way through this one. I tried to like this ghost of a game, oh I wanted so badly to like it, but this game filled me with rage. There, I have said it, this role playing game (my favourite game genre might I add) has stand out problems that made, no, implored me rage quit like a 13 year old COD enthusiast contradictorily swearing for fair play.

What problems could this game IGN gave an 8.3 have?

Let's see, my computers specs completely outweigh the recommendation for highest quality, yet it still has massive frame rate drops at the cut scenes. By massive I mean gargantuan, I felt like I was watching a storyboard of what the action was supposed to look like. Never mind the amount of tinkering it took to get to the “smooth” choppiness at its lowest quality. While you may be able to forgive the game for these flaws after you have it going the utter disgust I had when, in the background of talking NPC's, I saw another NPC doing a little chopped up jig, in the background of the whole screen.

The sound gave The Witcher some brownie points, with voice acting to be of a generally high standard. It was something I could put up with and not overtly boring for the most part, but why must my character speak so monotonously even during a castle siege. It begs the question of did they even check these opening scenes for quality? Or did they just rush it out the door for a quick buck?

While i'm not completely against tutorials and the such in games, surely it's going a bit far when using the menu becomes too confusing. Early on in the game I decided not to use the alchemy as the amount of reading needed for each and every thing was beyond a joke. Yes RPG's have a lot of reading and memorising but for the tutorial stage to go on for almost an hour is a a bit too far.

While the combat system is a bright spot for the game, with the player having to time each click in order to create combos, or the use of magic in the game with the right click. Compounded upon the need to change fighting style for each enemy as well as pause the game to search the inventory for alchemy such as healing potions or buffs.......Wow I just filled up a whole paragraph by lightly describing the battle system. Whoever said a simple battle system was bad?

The story seemed to move on after you had finished quests, which had nothing to do with the story. In fact its quest system is close to another extremely popular game which is built upon quests with no real point, although that game is built upon social bonds, of which The Witcher, being a single player off-line game, has none.. Oh WOW, you know the name of that world wide phenomenon eludes me at this point in time, no matter on with my conclusion to the scathing.

I must admit that although I have hated my time with The Witcher, I will more than likely attempt to play it again, hopefully with more excitement and less anticipation. The fact that I have played it though, means that I expect a lot less than right now. I will now give a disclaimer to say that I have played six hours of the game, the narrative never grabbed me, the gameplay confused me, the sound bored me and the graphics effectively made me rage quit. This was my experience, and first impressions of a game I bought, it is not a troll, nor biased.

What games have you bought that made you rage quit?

When is Piracy Acceptable

Piracy is an age old debate in the gaming universe, with legions of people condemning the practice and swarms of others recommending the action. When one commits to learning about each side of the argument, topics such as overpriced games or support the developers come into the fray. But surely there is a safe zone in the battlefield that would be a point of truce, or maybe even a temporary cease-fire of onslaughts. I believe our saviour is the Emulation scene.

How much time must be given before piracy is acceptable though? Now I'm not talking about downloading the latest Call Of Duty or Resident Evil edition. Certainly not. These games are still running their retail life-cycle, but games which have ceased production, games like “Joe & Mac” and “The Lost Vikings” for the SNES. Even all the way up to the PSX/N64 era with classics like Conkers Bad Fur Day. These games which are next to impossible to come across, let alone find a good condition console to play them on. I remember spending my pre-teen years playing some of these games and even now yearning to play them again almost as much as I want to play say, “The Witcher 2” etc.

Due to the lack of demand and inaccessibility put forward by progress, these games are not stocked in retail outlets any more and you can forget about renting them in that case. As the supply and demand rule of thumb, the rarer the item, the more it costs. Which is understandable, however I do not want to have to buy a collectors edition of a game 20 years old worth say $60 just for the re-experience. If, like many of the younger generation, I had never played the game before I'm even less likely to pay for it, which is a shame. Many classic, ground breaking games may lose their shine and become forgotten in years to come due to these very limitations.

On the flip side the ease and access of the Emulator scene is growing in leaps and bounds, with talented developers taking time out of their life to create freeware programs which run these earlier games. This hobby makes it possible for a new gamer to experience games like, as an example, The Legend of Zelda or any of the Final Fantasy's, broadening their gaming expertise.

The downside to these great advancements is, unfortunately, that it is illegal to have the game files on your computer after 24 hours unless you already own a retail version of the game. Past the 24 hour mark you are considered a pirate, just the same as average Joe who modded their PS3 and downloaded Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3.

The fact of the matter is that after the retail cycle of a game has run its course, or at least the console it was on, the limitations of accessibility to these games must be lifted for others gain the experience frequently talked about in online forums for themselves. At this point in time if I download my all time favourite (as a child) game “ The Lost Vikings” for the SNES, which isn't available, I would be considered a pirate and treated as such by the authorities.

If there are no means of accessing these games and companies aren't trying to re-release them, I don't see why we shouldn't be allowed to download and play the classics for free.

Assassins Creed Brotherhood Review

Assassins Creed : Brotherhood

The success of a franchise is dependant on the amount of improvement shown for each new addition. If there is no improvement there can be no immersion, basically the franchise or series will fail. Allowing oneself to fall into the world of Ubisoft Montreal's Assassins Creed Brotherhood can be compared to waking up in the morning for work. You can't not do it, and believe me you don't want to sleep through this Renaissance classic.

You revisit the role of Ezio Auditore da Firenze, dashing to women, deadly to any who cross his path, picking up right where Assassins Creed 2 finished. You find Ezio under covers, no seriously he is in bed with another woman. Sadly life decides to throw a curve ball at Ezio, one thing leads to another and suddenly he is taking revenge on the rulers of Rome and the whole corruption of Catholic church. The Templars versus Assassins template is still in the background, but the forefront of evil is shown in the persona of the Borja army and its leader , Cesare Borja. While the story is not as strong as Assassins Creed 2, it's written well enough to keep you ploughing through the missions like butter.

Assassins Creed's gameplay is overhauled with each addition to the series, Brotherhood proudly flying the flag above it's predecessors. Ezio seems to be gaining agility with age as he completes feats which would be deemed impossible by any normal standard. Free running from building to building over the rooftops has been made to feel even more flowing as you move swiftly around Rome with ease. Cutting down enemies fast is clearly now the focus of the series, unlike in previous instalments which required you to counter at the right time for a kill. Now you are given the tools to mow down large groups of enemies quicker than a poloticians twist of tongue. The developers have even gone so far as to let you build your own assassin army, comprising of citizens that you liberate from the Borja reign. You can then send the recruits out to various missions, or keep around, to dispatch of unwanted attention. Of course the number of assassins available for use depend on your influence on the city. Much like Grand Theft Auto San Andreas you raise your reputation by taking out enemy strongholds, Assassins Creed Brotherhood's version being the many Borja towers spread through the vicinity.

Graphics have been upgraded ever so slightly on the last game, now showing the aging Ezio with every wrinkle and grey hair standing out from the rest. The scenery is beautifully perfected, from the bricks and pavement of Rome to the outlying farming regions. Rome itself will grow from a decrepit city to a flourishing populous if certain requirements are met by the player. It is clear that much work has gone into the creation of such a visually stunning world in which the player can fully interact with. It is a pleasure to stand atop one of the towers and look out upon the skyline in all in all it's glory, or to ride through the farming communities surrounding the populous.

Completely engrossing the player into the Renaissance period is complete in Brotherhood. Each character is voiced superbly from the main characters doen to the most miniscule citzen. Ezio Auditore da Firenze comes alive with his suave persona being conveyed just as well, if not better, than the previous installment. Even the less important sounds such as the pedestrians walking around the city and its outlying regions are given the full treatment through to the very small one liner parts. It's hard not to immerse yourself in Ezio's quest for revenge when it feels so alive.

If killing the CPU is starting to bore your assassin nerves Ubisoft have the perfect solution for you. New to the series is an online multiplayer option which allows the player the opportunity to act out their murderous desires in games of cat and mouse. it is Implemented well, as you are given a target to assassinate, while simultaneously being targetted by another player. You are given the chance to break the chase using objects such as massive gates which actually are very effective. For the thrill seekers however you are still able to free run the rooftops to find your escape.

Ubisoft Mobtreal have made it a habit to improve their mechanics with each release. This principle is especially true with Assassins Creed Brotherhood, it is an improvement on essentially every aspect, save for maybe the narrative, and is especially enjoyable. The sounds, however well enacted, tend to wear thin nearing the end game through the limited in-game script, although do not detract from the experience. The facial effects tend to be overshadowed only by games such as Rockstars very recent LA Noire, which is nothing to detract from the total playing experience.

With the quality of game Ubisoft Montreal have churned out of the factory lately, expectations are high for the new installment, Assassin's Creed: Revelations. If you are an avid follower of the historically epic series Assassin's Creed, this game is a must have. If you tend to play games casually, Assassin's Creed Brotherhood creates quite a case for itself to slide it's way into your personal collection. Either way this game is a must play for anyone and stands on it's own as much as a singular game in addition to Ubisofts epic adventure series.

Score:

Story: 8
Gameplay:9
Visual:8
Audio: 8
Multiplayer: 7
Overall: 8/10

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Pokemon Black and White Review

Pokemon Black

I remember the year 1998. I was young and naive, combing through my local Toys R Us store, contemplating what I was going to experience if I found the awesome new game I had heard all about. The original Pokemon Blue version, which totally blew me away. So much so that I, even now to this day still like to insert the old and dusty cartridge into my ancient Gameboy Pocket. The feeling I got when I played the night away catching monsters of all sorts was rivalled by any other game. Pokemon had me hooked like a Magikarp on land, I couldn't leave. Fast track to the present day and the Pokemon series has enjoyed a healthy growth, spawning 4 more generations of games and entertaining millions the world over. While past iterations were always good, they never captured the spark that the originals had. That is, until the latest instalment, Pokemon Black and White on the Nintendo DS.

The template for a Pokemon game is simple, you are a teenager whom sets out on an adventure into the wilderness to pit your monsters against others, proving your mettle by earning Pokemon League badges at gyms. Along the way an organisation is disrupted in their evil ways by your journey, fortunately you are the hero of the day in these games. While generic, it works. The fifth generation, however, actually has a story, while not true RPG quality it is a step forward. I won't give any spoilers, but I will say that there are darker, more mature themes involved than in previous games. Any Pokemon trainer will gladly admit though, that story is not where the addiction lies.

The game play itself is an upgrade on Diamond, Pearl and Emerald, with new additions to the battle mechanics, such as new moves and abilities which allow for a wider range in strategies. In truth, the series is built on “if it aint broke, don't fix it”. This is painfully clear, with the controls being copied and pasted throughout the series, but it works. It allows veterans to jump right back in yet it's a simple layout for all newcomers.

The visuals remind me of stepping into that sand dune on a hot summers day overlooking the ocean. I can see where they are headed but they aren't quite there yet and right now they are suffering for it, much like my red raw feet that day. While it is nice to see the attempts at bringing the series into a true 3d environment, unless pre-rendered, it creates scenes in which you can't help but notice each singular pixel. A great example of this is the revamped battle sequences, while the camera is moving much like an action film, zooming in and out with each attack, it causes the Pokemon or the attacks to become a blur of pixels. Instead of the clear avatars of each Pokemon that has become a staple of the series, we are given what sometimes looks amazing, and other times looks like a heap of watermarked garbage. The backgrounds in the over world, however are something to behold, from the 3d sky scrapers of Hiun City to the unpredictable rain drenched lands of Route 7, the environment is colourful and full of life.

The vibrant sounds of a Pokemon game always delivers, engrossing the player into the universe, Black and White being no exception. From the frenetic chorus of battle through to the peaceful town ambience the music captures each situation. Never mind the fact that there's over five hundred different Pokemon cries heard throughout the game. There isn't much I can say to fault the music, however, some may take the sudden change of music with a grain of salt once your Pokemon's health becomes critical. It is a feature I really enjoyed though as it created a sense of urgency through the fights.

The main draw card of the series over the years has been the implementation and improvement of connectivity and multi player aspects. While the ability to communicate over Wi-Fi was introduced in the previous set of games, it was limited to scrolling through forum after forum for a persons friend code unless you knew them in real life. Gamefreak have found the solution for all the lonely souls who are technically too old for Pokemon. With the introduction of random battling, something which fans believe should have been in Diamond and Pearl anyway the casual gamer is now able to sign onto Wi-Fi and easily start a battle. The Global Trade System returns, but is still plagued by people asking for impossible trades (level 9 Dialga???). There is also a new feature called “Dream World” where you place one of your Pokemon “to sleep” and play various mini-games for special abilities, items and even sometimes new Pokemon.

Gamefreak pretty much pioneered this sub-genre in RPG gaming and have, as a result, become fluent in the creation of their games. There aren't many qualms I have, or at least none that ruin the overall experience. The multi player aspect has been taken to a new level as has the graphical aspect of the games. If I was to point out a certain aspect which does need work on it would be the pixelated game play through the battles. Being such a minor problem in such a beautifully polished game though, we can let it slide.

What Gamefreak have done superb with the fifth generation of Pokemon games is add just enough nuances to recapture the original feel of the games. I enjoyed my journey through earning my badges, and I plan to do even more adventuring as I discover what might be awaiting for me. For a Pokemon fan I strongly recommend that you give this game a chance.

Rating

Story: 7

Game Play: 9
Visuals:8

Audio:10

Multi Player: 8

Overall: 8

Let's Play The Final Fantasy Series

Yes, you have read right. In some terrible flash of brilliant insanity I have decided to do a Let's Play of the whole Final Fantasy series.

Of course this would only include the main console series games (I-XIII), but nevertheless it is still a mighty task which i would like to attempt.

I will only be playing through the narratives of each game, so no end game stuff as of yet, an I will be playing the Playstation versions.

Another noted mention which may inform you of my intentions, I have only ever completed Final Fantasy X.

Meaning I will be playing mostly blind, this may or may not cause utter outrage from whoever views my epic exploits of epicness, but regardless I will endeavour to finish.

The videos will most likely be posted on my youtube account, which I will link you to.