Recently completed game(s)

Walking Dead season 2 episode 5  .... once again an emotional end ...Enjoyed it, wonder where they will go with season 3

Resident Evil 2 on Vita. Still a good game, I think, though v dated, probably more so than the original game (which I played thru on 3DS in 2012). Voice acting is very grating now and the cut scenes - which I remember being state of the art - look totally shit. 

 I don't think that a return to pre Resi 4 style games is realistic - simple puzzles and lots of back tracking just wouldn't cut it these days. The series peaked at 4. 5 was good fun in co-op but 6 is a bit ropey. If  ever a series needed a reboot, this is it.

I nailed the final boss on Ratchet and Clank 2 (Vita) last night. As a self confessed R&C fanboy I found the game a total joy and there's still loads to collect on the Challenge NG+. Next up: Ratchet and Clank 3

Won gold on all Grand Prix (50, 100, 150, mirror) on Mario Kart 8,

Just completed Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark. Now I know this got thoroughly beaten up in the reviews, but its actually not as bad as its reputation suggests. It's in no way a next gen game, or even a brilliant game, but if you liked the last Transformers games (War For and Fall of Cybertron) then this is a neat continuation of those games, with some mild movie references. I'd even say it was more enjoyable than the last in the series, with less frustrations and glitches. It has plenty of issues, but nothing that warrants the poor scores. It's a bog standard third person shooter, with a few puzzles, and driving sections thrown in. It is simple fun. It's story is good, but is poorly told through jarringly edited cut scenes. It's mostly corridor based, but Cybertron looks as cool as ever. Earth however is painfully dull, and full of terribly textured warehouses. If you are a Transformers fanboy, then there are plenty of fan service throughout. The Transformers remain fantastically detailed, but its a shame the environments are not. It's nothing special, or even next-gen, but for a piece of time wasting entertainment, there's nothing really wrong here, and I had some fun with it. Enough for my money's worth (£20), some of which I should get back with trade in.

Completed ACIV last night (well, at 1.30am this morning ).

Fantastic game, possibly shading ACII as my favourite AC game. Loved the naval combat and messing about in the ship generally. Kenway was an engaging protagonist too. It's rekindled my interest in the series after the so-so ACII Revelations and ACIII.

And my first completed PS4 game. Bought it on the day the PS4 came out too!

Recently finished up my Evil Cole playthrough on inFAMOUS, still a great game and whilst doing evil shit in games isn't usually my thing, it was definitely more fun than the good Cole run. Still didn't get all the blast shards and fell 8 short, not sure if I'll bother scouring Empire City yet again for the remainder. Now working on an evil Cole run in the sequel.

Also recently ran through Arkham City with a view to giving it another chance. This playthrough just confirmed the massive disappointment I felt the first time through. Story was pretty shit and whilst ending more abruptly than I remember the game STILL found a way to feel like a slog. As a result I couldn't be fucked to bother with a lot of the side missions and as for the Riddler secrets, fuck that shit. Not quite a completely garbage game but IMO, not that far from it and I'm mystified how it was as well received as it was. It also confirmed that there's a very good chance I'll not waste my time, effort or money on Arkham Knight.

On top of that, finally managed to get through the main campaign on Everybody's Golf on Vita. I'd forgotten just how much I love this franchise (the PS4 version cannot come soon enough) although I was also reminded just how cheap the AI can be in those versus matches, it took me numerous attempts to beat Izzak after getting close loads of times only to get fucked up by the AI pulling off miracle shots or my character suddenly getting shanks when they should have been accurate. I still need to try and beat two final rounds as well as unlocking the crowns in earlier events (no easy task) and there's also the considerable point grind to unlock some of the other shit.

So whilst I can't help thinking that gaming is pretty fucking shit at the moment, at least it's given me a chance to catch up on some of the backlog/replay older shit.

I evil-ed inFamous (and I don't normally walk the evil path in games). I just found it easier to not have to worry about collateral damage 

Updates in bold.

September
Halo: Spartan Assault [Xbox One]
Velocity 2X [PS Vita/PS4]
Destiny [PS4] Story Missions



Finished the basic story missions a week or so ago but wanted to wait a bit to give a semi informed opinion on the end game content in Destiny.

As the mixed reviews will tell you Destiny is not the game for everyone that Activision was so ready to push into everyone's lives. It may not be the game for you but it is most certainly the game for me. It takes the best aspects of Halo's gameplay and melds them perfectly with RPG and Hack'n'Slash loot grind mechanics. It gives the game a unique action RPG feel that I haven't experienced since back in the day when I used to play Phantasy Star Online (PSO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

The game is set up to allow you quick and easy access to the various modes you can jump from doing solo stuff, to PvP to grouped instances all with just a few button presses. I'm loving the general flow of the game and that it keeps opening up the more I play it. The grind isn't to bad because I have spent most of my time playing with friends so it has been a good laugh rather than a long slog.

5 out of 5

Completed Hotline Miami on Vita last week.

Brilliant fun and the epitomy of 'just one more go'.

A busy weekend of clearing up games from my pile of shame ahead of Alien next week! After finishing ACIV last week, I consciously didn't want to start something new.  I shot gunned episodes 4 and 5 of season 2 of The Walking Dead  and finally got around to finishing Red Dead Redemption Undead Nightmare. Going back into the RDR world, even in its zombie apocalypse form, made me realise again what a fantastic game it is - Rockstar's masterpiece, no doubt.

Impressive! I still need to go back to RDR Undead as well. And I love Black Flag so much that I'm happy to put it on and just sail the seas meaning at the rate I'm playing it I may never see the end of the main story!

I liked ACIV so much, I'm considering giving ACIII another chance:shock: Ubisoft really hit the mark with its world - best AC game, IMO.

Updates in bold.

September
Halo: Spartan Assault [Xbox One]
Velocity 2X [PS Vita/PS4]
Destiny [PS4] Story Missions
Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition [PS4]



Me and the wife killed death itself over the weekend and loved every moment of it! I can honestly say that I think this is the best version of Diablo III. I've played a ridiculous amount of the PC/Mac version and it doesn't compare to this console release of the game. It's streamlined and the console exclusive features (4-player couch co-op, sneding randomised gifts, etc.) enhance the game so much. Making it a great solo, group and online group experience.

We've still only scratched the surface and we are hoping to get stuck into Adventure Mode this coming weekend.

Completed Shadow of Mordor a few days ago and it really is a solid game.

The story is good albeit not great but the game was just so much fun to play. The combat, whilst virtually identical to the Arkham series, did just enough to offer up a little more variety once you unlocked different skills/abilities. The environment was a pleasure to explore and I also enjoyed the extra-curricular activities.

As previously mentioned, the Nemesis system is great and some of the rivalries with Captains added a nice hook to the game, I also spent a little more time than I probably needed to just manipulating the poor bastards.

I finished up on 88.1% so still have some stuff to return to, mostly the weapon challenges and I'm sure I'll find an excuse to torture more Captains when I do return to try and get that 100%.

A real pleasant surprise that hadn't been on my radar until some of the reviews started cropping up and a rare case where I actually agree with the generally high praise that the game received.

Wow, I completed a game! Call of Duty Ghosts (PS4).

Well, as an unapologetic CoD admirer of old, even I have a hard time describing this as anything other than average. The usual polished CoD gameplay? Yes. Engaging story, characters or even level design? Nope. Quite a let down.

Advanced Modern Ops Warfare (or whatever it's called) may not be a day one purchase for me....but I can't promise anything.

Finally got around to completing the single player campaign in LBP Vita last night.

Enjoyable enough and seems to fit Vita better than the home console versions fit their counterparts, probably why I've never played the larger versions for any length of time. Final boss was a little irritating, only because Sackboy seemed to ignore my button presses and failed repeatedly to grab the bombs.

I may explore multiplayer a little more at some point but won't likely bother with the creative side of things, really not my sort of thing.

Also finished Lords of the Fallen last night, absolutely loved it.

I've already giving a lot of thoughts about the game in the initial impressions thread so it's not worth expanding on that. The story ended up being OK at best but the combat and everything else about the game was an absolute blast. 

I thought I had been pretty thorough (but maybe not) and was a little disappointed by the length of the game, around 20hrs, thankfully there is still the NG+ and NG++ to go through, as well as two other classes to play through with. Something I can see me doing very soon.

On the subject of classes, I did find things a little too easy with the Warrior. I only died 14 times to the main bosses, the game tells you at the end, I also don't recall dying that frequently outside of bosses either. That said, I've read that some others have struggled with the difficulty, although I'm really not sure how. I have also heard that the Rogue class in particular is a real step-up in difficulty, I'll find out if that's true soon enough as I plan to make that my next playthrough (maybe after the Warrior NG+).

A few minor issues, had three crashes during my run (pretty lucky according to some others), the NPC audio crashed at one point (sorted by a reload) and an instance of my character's weapons not displaying, that made one partcular boss battle a little harder than it should have been, but thankfully that issue resolved itself once I beat the boss in question.

Highly recommended to anyone who may not have had the will to get through Dark/Demon's Souls or any fan of ARPGs, really hope this is the beginning of a bright new franchise.

Comoelted the Freedom Cry dlc for ACIV. 

As I've said elsewhere, I loved ACIV so I was always likely to like this. Some years after the events of ACIV, you play as Adewale, Kenway's quartermaster, freeing slaves in and around Haiti, fomenting rebellion. Story wise it's engaging enough - I liked Ade -but there's less depth than in the main game. Basically, there's far less to do. It's also easier than the main game  - certainly far easier to bring down a man o' war.

Not sure about the balancing either. Throughout the game, you get the opportunity to free slaves, some of whom will be maroons (soldiers for the rebellion). The move slaves/maroons you free, the more stuff you unlock to buy. I maxed out the maroon gauge about halfway through and the top reward is free ammo, so I had free refills for the rest of the game. Which highlighted that there isn't much to buy - I had loads of cash by the end and no need to spend it.


Reading the above back, I seem to have slagged it off but it is enjoyable if you like the main game - I certainly enjoyed it. One of the best, non-story, parts of the game is bringing down slave plantations. You need to stealth-kill twenty overseers to close the plantations but if you're seen they start killing the slaves, fearing a rebellion. 

Anyway, if you like the main game a lot it's worth a spin.

CoD AW (PS4) - Single player campaign

Having just played and then left disappointed by Ghosts a few weeks ago and I really, really enjoyed this. For me it was a return to the level of quality I have come to expect from the franchise. It's not going to win any converts but if you have enjoyed a Call of Duty in the past I'm pretty certain you'll enjoy this.

I think the "fresh pair of eyes" strategy has paid off and Sledgehammer have done a fine job putting their spin the CoD formula.

A very solid 8/10 from me.

So forgot to post in here lately... Finished Spiderman 2 on the ps4 a day or two ago... keep going back though trying to unlock all of the costumes probably because although its not a brilliant game it is very easy to pick up play for 5 minutes and then put down while waiting for things.

Completed New Little King's Story yesterday and really enjoyed it.

Although it doesn't quite match up to the original version it's still a very enjoyable game, only real issue was some frame-rate problems but nothing too intolerable. I'd still have preferred a straight port as the couple of bosses that were changed didn't work as well and the story (the ending in particular) just weren't as good.

I managed to return to my save file and did the final battle eight times just to get the ending trophies, it's a 30hr game give or take so there was no way I was going to complete it properly eight times, as much as I love it.

I now just need to grind out a few more hours (currently in progress) to raise the affection levels of all the princesses then do the final battle once more for the Platinum trophy

Updates in bold.

September
Halo: Spartan Assault [Xbox One]
Velocity 2X [PS Vita/PS4]
Destiny [PS4] Story Missions
Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition [PS4]

October
- No games completed due to manic SingStar launch work! -

November
Dragon Age: The Last Court [PC/Browser]


I've mentioned it elsewhere and my lengthy write up on all things Dragon Age also covers it too. For a simple browser based text adventure The Last Court starts off slow but then after a few days it suddenly gets its hooks into you and you are having to deal with a multitude of plots and threads that all culminate in grand finale of playing The Great Game.

Finished Xcom on the PC... 3rd machine I have finished it on now... and still dont feel I have had enough of it. It is definitely my favourate game for the xbox360/ps3 generataion

Just finished Valiant Hearts: The Great War.

Wonderful game, intelligently and respectfully done, lovely soundtrack and an excellent story. Comes highly recommended, especially at the current sale pricepoint of £6 on the PSN store.

Updates in bold.

September
Halo: Spartan Assault [Xbox One]
Velocity 2X [PS Vita/PS4]
Destiny [PS4] Story Missions
Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition [PS4]

October
- No games completed due to manic SingStar launch work! -

November
Dragon Age: The Last Court [PC/Browser]
Halo: The Master Chief Collection - Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary [Xbox One]


I had a blast playing through this true gem of a game for the 100th time. It's gotten to the point with the first Halo where even the bad parts of the game have a level of charm to them for me. It is a game that changed shooters, especially on consoles and one the games that pushed me into wanting to get into the games industry. Well worth playing

I'll be holding off on jumping into Halo 2 Anniversary until after my Dragon Age: Inquisition urges have subsided a bit

Oh also, here is a bunch of game clips I recorded while playing: 







Also is there anyway to directly share to YouTube from the Xbox One? Sorting these out was a huge pain in the butt!