I’ll be honest – a couple of months ago, I barely knew of Scott Pilgrim. While I’d heard whispers of the book’s greatness (mainly from Garv), I’d never read them myself. However, when the movie was released last week, the gamer side of me felt obligated to go and see it, given that it was supposed to be an homage to all things gaming. Two hours later, I walked out of the cinema grinning like a chimpanzee that just spotted a banana buffet – I loved it, and would happily say it’s the best gaming-related movie I’ve ever seen.
The first thing I did when I got home was download Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game on PSN. While I generally avoid movie related games like the plague, there were two reasons for this - firstly, the game appeared to be based more on the original texts rather than a movie-to-game adaptation. Secondly, the game looked to be a retro beat-em up filled with gaming references and in-jokes. For the decent cost of £7.99, I downloaded it and got ready for some old-school gaming.
Continue reading ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game’
While gaming is a hugely successful industry, and has been growing rapidly over the last couple of decades – for some reason there really seems to be a lack of coverage on television. While there are many shows related to film reviews and the like, gaming just doesn’t seem to be able to find a real place on TV screens – aside from the odd advert or two that have been becoming a little more common nowadays.
Strangely, the biggest gaming TV I can recall was GamesMaster, which was actually quite successful, shown on Channel 4 from 1992 up until 1998. While the games industry was only getting stronger at that point, the senior staff at Channel 4 were responsible for it’s removal – just when the show was getting more serious, aimed at real gamers and delivering the kind of stuff that was interesting to watch. But it was not to be – and the show was never to be seen again. Since then, there have been a few attempts at gaming shows – all of which have failed to grasp any real attention. I remember an old gaming channel on Sky, Game Network (which was actually where I first heard about Devil May Cry – which grew to become one of my favourite games), which used to be run by people from Holland (or somewhere in that region) – however amongst some of the genuine info, it was full of phone-in competitions and repeated sections, general rubbish to try and fill space and bring in a bit of extra cash – it’s late night hours filled with condescending “Babestation” stuff that cheapened the channel furthermore. The overall experience was a little like trying to read a game article crammed in the corner of a page full of ads, but it was better than nothing. Continue reading ‘Gaming channel Ginx due for satellite TV’
September looks to be an excellent month for games, with titles such as Dead Rising 2, Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep, and the long awaited release of Halo: Reach. However, even with such titles on the horizon, Metroid: Other M is amongst the most exciting. While I’m looking forward to seeing continuations of my favourite series’, a lot has changed in the world of Samus Aran since Prime 3: Corruption and it’s certainly going to be a refreshing experience.
While it’s been known for a while that Ninja Gaiden’s developers Team Ninja have been working with Nintendo on the new Metroid title, and that it would comprise of a mixture of gameplay elements from both 2D and 3D styles, it’s not until more recently that we’ve been given a more detailed idea of exactly how the game will work. But as the game’s release draws closer, I can now give a clearer idea of exactly what you can expect with the new sci-fi adventure.
Continue reading ‘Metroid: Other M Preview’
Assassin’s Creed II was a hugely enjoyable game for me – one of the best sandbox style titles I’ve played. Unlike it’s predecessor, the game was chock full of things to do and places to see – taking the original concept and melding it into something vastly more exciting. Truth be told, I’ve still yet to get the DLC, since I’d long since stopped playing since it’s release – but I could quite happily say I was satisfied with my purchase and even managed to get my first Platinum Trophy by tracking down every last feather in the beautiful Italian regions of Venice, Florence and Tuscany. It’s rare I say that a sequel surpasses a predecessor in every way – but this time I think they managed it.
The upcoming release of Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood this November did get me wondering what exactly we should expect. Firstly – the game is not deemed a true numbered “sequel”, secondly - it’s only been a year since the release of Assassin’s Creed II, as opposed to the two-year gap between the first two titles, and thirdly - I haven’t noticed nearly as much advertising for the latest installment. It’s perhaps because they’ve simply decided to follow the plot of the same character that they have made these choices (akin to Final Fantasy X-2), but the reluctance to number the title does make me wonder if the game will feel more like an expansion than a true sequel. So what do we know? I’m here to tell you what I can.
Continue reading ‘Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood’
Although I’m primarily a console gamer – I wasn’t always, and a few PC games have special places in my heart. One such game was StarCraft, an RTS game I still hold with high regard to this day. With real-time strategy being one of the few genres that I feel suits the PC platform better than consoles – the keyboard and mouse perfect for precise selection and navigation in a micro management environment – I still haven’t seen an RTS title that tops the sheer brilliance of Blizzard’s sci-fi strategy game. So naturally when the sequel finally arrived, twelve years since the original’s release, I was more than happy to see what changes had been made that was worth such a long, long wait.
Continue reading ‘StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty’
So far, there’s been nothing but pleasing news about my most anticipated fighter *ever*, Marvel vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds. Mixing some classic characters with very welcome newcomers, the roster we knew so far contained Capcom’s Ryu, Chris Redfield, Morrigan, Felicia and Dante, and also Marvel’s Wolverine, Iron Man, Hulk, Deadpool, and Captain America. They were off to a good start, and since then I’ve been anxious to hear more. There are plenty of characters we expect to see sooner or later, and some unexpected surprises – the latest news on the roster is a little of both. So without further ado, I’ll get on and tell you who the six latest additions are…
TEAM CAPCOM
Chun-Li
One of the more obvious characters, wherever Ryu goes the beautiful Chun-Li is sure to follow. Although not unexpected, Chun-Li is a welcome addition to the Capcom roster, being a staple part of the Street Fighter series and perhaps the most iconic female fighter in gaming. It’s always good to see her as a part of the roster – but I have a feeling she won’t be seeing as much use from me as in Street Fighter IV, what with all the outrageous and exciting new characters MvC3 has to offer. Still, it wouldn’t be the same without her.
Continue reading ‘Here come some new challengers!’
I can have quite high expectations when it comes to games, and Sandbox titles are one of the genres which I find hardest to be satisfied with. While most of my favourite elements within them have been done before, I often find that most sandbox titles will contain some of the elements that I enjoy, yet fail to meet my expectations elsewhere. Perhaps this is simply a matter of developers allocating their priorities to one area over another, or maybe they just think that their games will feel complete without them.
Continue reading ‘My Sandbox Heaven’
