PlusXP team. L-R HelenBaby, RandomMan, Garvaos, GuitarGirl

First of all I want to say that the special guests were an absolute joy. Perhaps because of the con’s relatively small size, they were really able to get in and amongst us mere con-goers. The ultimate superstar had to be Zonic (aka Ziggy Newman) who was running about  both days doing a million and one different things. She could be seen greeting new arrivals one minute, onstage taking part in sketches the next, and then you’d turn around and see her making sure everything was Ok on the shop floor, while all the while exhibiting the most cheerful attitude you can imagine. She also made me smile by kindly introducing me to one of the other big guests : Brentalfloss.

Brentalfloss with Kevin Eva from Sonic Wrecks. Taken with my 3DS camera, please excuse the quality!

You may not all recognise the name Brentalfloss, dear readers, but I dare say most of you would recognise his music. Brentalfloss is a comedian and song-writer who changes the words to video game music to create hilarious ditties. He is the man such YouTube greats as “Dr. Mario WITH LYRICS” and “Tetris WITH LYRICS”. I didn’t manage to catch his show at the event unfortunately, but judging by the buzz about it from guests afterwards I can only assume that he went down a storm. He’s also a rather lovely bloke. So thanks for that Ziggy!

Sonic fans were in for a particular treat on Sunday evening when the RadioSega boys did their sets (shout-outs to Svend and Gavvie!). It was refreshing to hear all the old classics, and the dance floor was simply full of Sonic fans getting their grooves on to those delectable beats.

 Of course, as you’d expect from a gaming con, there was a plethora of games on show on the convention floor. Sadly none of these (as far as I could tell) were unreleased exclusives, something which really does undercut the con when compared with the likes of Eurogamer. The fact all the games that were featured were utter gems is some consolation, however. These included a strew of the old Megadrive-era Sonics, Goldeneye 64 and Halo Anniversary Edition, to but scratch the surface. The big tournaments focused around such fan favourites as Mario Kart, Smash Bros Brawl and Street Fighter 4.

3DS owners were, naturally, accosted with StreetPass hits aplenty. I wasn’t there for long on either Saturday or Sunday, but somehow still managed to pick up about 40 during the course of the weekend. 3DS players could often be seen dotted around the comfy seating area downstairs, many playing Mario Kart 7 (which was released the day before the con).

Look! Raving Rabbid plushies!

Something that particularly impressed me about the con was the quality of the shops. They really did offer genuine good quality, which is something you just don’t expect to find at a convention. I even managed to pick up a Sega Saturn for just £20!

The contents of the stalls were just delightful ; old consoles still in relatively good nick, endless Master System, PS1, Xbox 360 (etc) titles in tidy stacks, Raving Rabbid plushies, you name it. Many of the stalls represented actual games shops, both from online stores and from physical shops located around the country. One example is the Retro Gaming Base (as pictured), who had a very nice selection of Sega Saturn titles (you can find them online here : http://retrogamebase.co.uk/ )

The Retro Game Base stall

So in conclusion the London Gaming Con was a jolly fun day out. I bumped into plenty of people I knew from around the London gaming scene (including some big names), got a slew of StreetPass hits, and found there was always something to keep me entertained. Sure the London Gaming Con isn’t on the level of the Penny Arcade Expo. Yet. But it is the con’s first year, and given the team’s prior knowledge and ambition I wouldn’t be surprised if they had the likes of PAX watching their backs in a few years time. I’m definitely planning to return if a follow-up is announced.

~HelenBaby

Gaming is a beautiful thing; it allows you to see the most beautiful worlds, witness stories, characters and events you couldn’t see anywhere else, and it’s still evolving, day by day. Some of the better moments when gaming have always been with the people you care about most, whether it be with your family, your friends, or someone special to you in some way. While gaming is mostly enjoyed Single Player, and I, like many others am a single player at heart, I can’t deny that some of my favourite moments in games have been when I’ve been playing with friends or people who matter to me. The fun you have can obviously be multiplied, and you can find new ways to explore worlds and games you hadn’t before, mess around, have fun, and spend more time with people you care about, bonding over that most amazing of things, Videogames!

The thing is that while many of us, myself included, complain about how many developers take time and resources away from the solo campaign in order to slave away at another bland multiplayer mode with achievements you’ll never be able to get two weeks after release because everyone’s stopped playing because it’s naff. Sometimes, we don’t appreciate the fact that they’ve given us an opportunity to share the experience of playing the game with others, and sometimes we don’t appreciate how much more fun the game can be when you’re playing with friends. Co-operative modes can help alleviate the stress you may gain from playing the game solo, and there are always the competitive modes you and your friends can kill time on at the very least.

Gaming brings people together

With the bad, average or blaverage multiplayer games come the good, though. Think about games like Left 4 Dead and Team Fortress; games that you don’t care that the only way you can enjoy them is with others, and games you end up loving to pieces because they’re so well crafted and they give you so many great experiences. The Left 4 Dead series alone has given me so many amazing and hilarious memories of playing with my friends that I wouldn’t even know when to begin or stop. Not even that, but even going back to the N64, Goldeneye, Mario Kart and Super Smash Brothers, the experiences that stand out most to me aren’t my single-player successes, but moments playing with friends have caused memories I still look back fondly on even in my old age. The years change, and so do the friends and the games. Don’t look back in nostalgia though, because you can still have it just as good today. In fact, with the ability to play and talk with other people over the internet, and the aforementioned insistence on forcing multiplayer on you, there are still so many ways to create amazing memories with friends that can last you for years to come.

Now, I’ve been giving it some thought, and I’m not one for making big plans or anything, but I’ve decided there should be some kind of day for all this. We’ll dedicate it to spending time with loved ones, and playing games all day. A day where we can sit around, joke, and have a laugh, and do it while gaming as well, especially with those who we want to spend it with. A day where we can put all of our gaming differences aside, and relax, and have fun. And I shall call this day… Gamingtimes Day!

"I just wanna say, I'm so glad im spending Gameingtimes day with you."

Gamingtimes Day, to be remembered in celebration of Saint Gamingtimes; who bought love to all through the power of videogames, and may or may not actually exist as some kind of teaching of religion or morality, and lived so that we could all celebrate the power of multiplayer upon his death. Oh yeah, he’s dead. I forgot to mention that part. It was kind of important. As was the bit about the war, but that’s for another time… Oh and then there’s the really awesome space battle between *mumbles*… And the bit where he *mumbles*… And the finale when you find out that *mumbles*… and that his father is really *mumbles*… and his best friend betrays *mumbles*… for the MacGuffin of Power…

Hey, look over there! A distraction of some kind!

Ahem. Where was I? Oh yeah, Gamingtimes Day! Now, I’ve given it some thought about when I want to put the day, and I’ve honestly thought long and hard about this one. After my open-to-interpretation manner of how I came upon my decision, I decided to declare Gamingtimes Day for a day that I made sure wouldn’t clash with any other kind of meaningful celebration or occasion: February 14th.

I checked. Nothing going on. At all.

So, how do you celebrate Gamingtimes Day? Well, it’s simple: just spend the day gaming with those who you care about. Play a bunch of multiplayer games with all of your loved ones, and share the joys of video gaming with everyone else. It doesn’t specifically matter about the game much, as long as you’re playing with those you care about, and you’re having fun.

Not convinced? Still confused? Here are some questions posed to me by other people about this day, and hopefully, the answers will convince you to celebrate Gamingtimes Day with me, and everyone else!

“Ed, I’m sure there’s already a holiday on the 14th called V-”
Nope! there’s nothing significant or important at all operating on that particular day of the February calendar. Trying to convince me otherwise is probably a lost cause. If there was, however, another occasion occurring on this particular 24-hour stretch of time, surely there’s nothing stopping you celebrating both?

“Are you sure this isn’t some holiday for lonely little geeks such as yourself?”
I don’t know what you’re talking about, real question posed to me by someone trying to insult me and fundamentally find a lack of logic in my idea! I’m completely fine and not at all lonely or heartbroken, and this day wasn’t inspired by when I spent February 14th in the past being made to feel bad about being alone while spending all day playing Left 4 Dead online with friends. Stop badgering me. Stop it. LEAVE ME ALONE!

This is not me....honest!

“Why just one day? Surely you don’t need a specific day to tell you to game?”
Say there was a day in which, now bear with me, because this is going to sound a little crazy but…
What if there was this one day where you’re told by society that you need to spend that day giving gifts and spending all your affection on someone you care about in a romantic way. Now, imagine that this day was started to help promote love amongst you and that special someone, and they told you that this day was solely for the purposes of love, or the pursuit of it! Isn’t that just crazy? Why would you need just one day to tell you when to love, or that one day to show that someone how you feel? Shouldn’t every day, or if not every day, a lot of the time, be spent doing that anyway? Why do you need just one day to tell you when to care, or when to do one specific thing, specifically?
I hope that answers your question and doesn’t obfuscate anything in any way at all.

“But the people I care about don’t like playing games!”
Well, now is always the time to educate them. Nowadays, there are lots of games designed to help wean people into games called “casual games”. Now, put your feelings aside about them, because you could always try using them? If not, there’s still nothing stopping you throwing them in the deep end and playing whatever you want, but sometimes, making a sacrifice could be the difference between just one day, and more times gaming with those you love in the future.

“Can you play with yourself?”
Why yes you can, incredibly inappropriately put question! Maybe you don’t like everyone else. Maybe the people you love don’t care about games? Maybe you just want to forego the whole process entirely, and just spend the day playing games without the need of a day specifically tell you to do it. Well, there’s nothing stopping you from treating the day just like every other, and going ahead with life.

At the end of the day, Gamingtimes Day is an optional bit of diversionary fun, and there’s no need to force yourself, or anyone else into it. It’s all a bit of fun, and isn’t even entirely serious. Just relax, and enjoy it.
Besides, if you’re busy that day, there’s always the 15th…

- Jokesound

It’s funny how the internet is pretty much a needed necessity these days. Almost anything you need is on the internet. Shopping, Banking, friends, hell if they came up with some way of creating an internet version of the toilet and a well stocked fridge, most gamers these days won’t need to leave their rooms.

Let's face it. You would, wouldn't you?

This week for me has been internet-less, and will be for a little while. Real life has decided to kick in and I have been moving into a flat in London. With moving home comes sacrifice, and this week and maybe even next week, our beloved Plus XP won’t be having as much input from its Chief Editor than it has done in the past.

But all real-life things aside now, I have been thinking. There were games journalists back in the day who did not have Internet at all. They could not scout out the latest sites for news, or get the low-down on the next big gaming expo by just clicking a button. But then, were there big gaming expos before the Internet was around? Basically, what I am trying to ask here is: Has the Internet boosted the games industry?

The more I think about this question the more I am going to say hell yes. This is for a three reasons.

1) Game Advertising

You’re probably scouting out things on YouTube like kittens looking surprised or just re-playing the same clip of a guy getting a football to the face over and over. But then you suddenly see an advertisement for Modern Warfare 2 or GTAIV: Episodes From Liberty City and you think ‘Ooooo I must take a gander at that.’ Back before the Internet, what did game advertisement have? OK, so maybe TV advertising and possibly the occasional poster, but nothing else really. Ever since the Internet has spawned, you have the tubes of London covered in the latest game, or your TV screens suddenly littered with pretty graphics of the next new release. All because of the Internet and its powerful way of adverting, meaning that more games are sold, and PR can splash out on shiny TV ads and billboards the size of the Isle of Wight.

2) News as soon as it hits

Journalists back in the day got some game news, typed it out and then waited about a week before it could get published in their new gaming magazine. That was fine for the gamers back then, but today the Internet is our friend; as soon as journalists see or hear anything, ‘BAM!’ it’s up on your favorite gaming site. No need to leave your house/cave to go out and get the latest on gaming news, because quite frankly you can find it whilst getting your screen tan. This in turn then makes gamers hunger for the game more, and if they hunger more they will tell their friends until you have about seventy thousand pre-orders on Play.com – which brings me to my next point.

3) Internet Shopping

Play.com, Amazon, CD WOW. These are the shops out there on the fast plains of the internet that sell games, and believe me that’s is not all of them. If I were to list each site that sells games on the net, I would have to write a new post to list them all. Net shopping has boosted gaming sales because gamers hear about the game from their favorite gaming site, then suddenly zoom off to one of these online stores and click BUY NOW in a manner probably reminiscent of Andy from Little Britain, seriously I wouldn’t be surprised if some gamers out there do actually say ‘I Want That One’ when they click BUY NOW.

There are probably more reasons out there, but these are the main three that spring to mind. The internet is a vast cyberspace that covers the whole planet. So here is something for you to ponder. If the Internet wasn’t invented, would we be gaming like we are today? Would games be so popular?

This game wouldn't even exist...

Tomorrow sees the 28th annual Golden Joystick awards here in London. The day long event will be taking place at Westminsters’ Park Plaza hotel and there will be some great games at the event both winning awards and being previewed to the media. Rich hall will be leading the ceremony and a record-breaking million and a half votes. So this is set to be a great show.

But the question of everyone’s lips at the moment is who has been nominated for what category, so without further a doo the list of nominations are as follows:

Action Game Of The Year:

- Assassins Creed 2
-Batman: Arkham Asylum
-Bayonetta
-God Of War III
-Heavy Rain
-Just Cause 2
-New Super Mario Bros Wii
-Red Dead Redemption
-Tom Clancey’s Splinter Cell: Conviction
-Uncharted 2: Among Theives

Fighting Game Of The Year

-BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger
-Dragon Ball: Raging Blast
-Fight Night Round 4
-Punch Out
-Soul Caliber: Broken Destiny
-Super Street Fighter IV
-Tekken 6
-Tutsunoko Vs Capcom: Ultimate Allstars
-UFC 2009 Undisputed
-WWE Smack Down Vs Raw 2010

One To Watch

-Brink
-Call Of Duty: Black Ops
-Crysis 2
-Dead Space 2
-F1 2010
-Mafia 2
-Star Wars: The Old Republic
-The Legend Of Zelda Wii
-Fable III
-Fallout: New Vegas
-Final Fantasy XIV
-Gears Of War 3
-Halo:Reach
-Medal Of Honour
-Super Mario Galaxy 2

Portable Game Of The Year

-Assassin’s Creed: Blood Lines
-Assassin’s Creed: Discovery
-Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare Mobilized
-Call Of Duty: World At War: Zombies
-Grand Theft Auto: China Town Wars psp
-Little Big Planet psp
-Pokemon Heart Gold/Silver
-Professor Layton and Pandora’s Box
-The Legend Of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
-Plants Vs Zombies

Racing Game Of The Year

-Colin McRae: Dirt 2
-Forza Motorsport 3
-Grand Turismo PSP
-ModNation Racers
-Need For Speed: Nitro
-Need For Speed: Shift
-Sonic and Sega Allstars Racing
-Split/Second
-Wipeout HD Fury
-Zombie Driver

Role Playing Game Of The Year

-3D Dot Game Heros
-Dragon Age: Origins
-Dragon Age: Awakening
-Fallout 3: Game Of The Year Edition
-Final Fantasy XIII
-Mass Effect 2
-Pokemon Heart Gold/Silver
-Risen
-Legend Of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
-Torchlight

Shooter Of The Year

-Aliens Vs Predator
-Battlefield: Bad Company 2
-Bioshock 2
-Boarderlands
-Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
-Halo 3: ODST
-Left 4 Dead 2
-Metro 2033
-Metroid Prime: Trilody
-S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call Of Pripyat

Sports Game Of The Year

-2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa
-Blood Bowl
-FIFA 10
-Football Manager 2010
-Madden NFL 10
-Mario & Sonic at the winter olympic games
-Pro Evolution Soccer 2010
-Skate 3
-Wii Fit Plus
-Wii Sports Resort

Ultimate Game Of The Year

-Aion: Tower Of Eternity
-Assassin’s Creed 2
-Batman: Arkham Aslyum
-Battlefield: Bad Combany 2
-Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
-Dragon Age: Origins
-Fallout 3: Game Of The Year Edition
-Final Fantasy XIII
-Football Manager 2010
-God Of War III
-Heavy Rain
-Left 4 Dead 2
-Mass Effect 2
-Metro 2033
-New Super Mario Bros Wii
-Pokemon Heart Gold/Silver
-Red Dead Redemption
-S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call Of Pripyat
-Uncharted 2: Among Theivs
-Plants Vs Zombies

So as you can see we have some tough competitors this year. I am hoping Red Dead Redemption does well and so does Halo Reach in the one to watch category. My gut feeling is telling me that Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will do pretty well out of this ceremony.

Well we will find out tomorrow. Follow the @plusxp twitter for up to date news and the winner as we get them.

Garv.

- MarkBOSS

www.youtube.com/markb0ss

www.gamers-unite.com

www.twitter.com/markb0ss

The advertising tag for this was 'is your tv big enough', a great comment on how games were changing beyond the TV's they've always been played on.

At the time it could have been seen as a sign of things to come, however the immediate after-flow of games seemed only to work on what these games have done rather than completely redefine its genre such as Super Mario 64 did with the platform genre. To look back it is apparent that it is the leap in 3D graphics at the time meaning that it would actually take another huge technological leap to re-invent the games/genres we play today. Gaming technology has always driven the possibility and differences of new gaming genres and this is what I wish to explore on this article.

Likewise with both Metal Gear Solid and Final Fantasy 7, there was a huge leap on what these games could accomplish to their predecessors. It was the jump to CD ROM that allowed the scope of FF7 possible and the Hollywood combination of visuals and sound in MGS.

The same effect of new technology into great games can be seen also in the late 80′s where gaming had changed due to the first successful home consoles such as the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System), offering something different to that of their arcade parents. Primarily the first video games ever created were basic reflex and aiming endeavours. And as technology has evolved so have the game mechanics and genres to it, as well as the audience. Only kids could have been marketed with a game like Super Mario Bros (1987) on the NES, with its cartooned visuals, which were all that was capable at the time. But as time went by, more was possible through advancing graphics technology; therefore more was possible contextually allowing for a possible older age range in gaming. The very definition of what gaming is in its time seems to reside on the technology of its time.

A glimpse into the future for Nintendo perhaps?

There is always the matter of game play over visuals, but ultimately Video games is technology and it is with new technology that we can expect the most likely groundbreaking games and new genres.

It has always been these games at the spear point of change that are often herald as the best games of all time or given that elusive 10/10 score which so many sites/ magazines hold for the best of the best. And rightly so, these games have more than the advantage of being state of the art, their usually ground breaking in content, opening up the possibilities for the ever expanding world of video games entertainment.

And now it seems we’re once again in the front line of gaming evolution. With the success of Nintendo’s Wii motion control, the physical practice of gaming has changed from its long running gamepad peripherals. The ease of use with it has also enabled the industry to expand into different age groups. Blu-ray game discs and DVD allow games to reach new heights in visual scope and scale. Gaming Graphics are getting closer to the CGI found in films allowing performance to be an attribute, such as that found in Heavenly Sword. Online multiplayer has reached a new mainstream audience with the successful online networks on consoles such as Xbox live. These are small advances compared to the jump from arcade to console, or 2D to 3D, but important ones that mould the current gaming generation into a more ‘serious’ one. After all it was not too long ago when games consoles had names such as Mega Drive or Game Boy, names aimed for the toy market in comparison with the now family/adult targeted names of (DS) Duel Screen or Wii.

So what does the rest of the future hold for us? With Project Natal and 3D gaming on the horizon, we can be sure of some exciting developments in ‘what we play’, rather than the obvious ‘how we play’. Well, so long as it’s nothing like the Virtual Boy.

I personally, like to think the greatest turning point in gaming would be the implementation of full virtual reality or a Star Trek style ‘holodeck’ room in gaming. This could put gaming into a full mainstream phenomenon, even more so then it is now. And as for the first few games that are released on it, those will most likely change the ever debatable definition of video games.

-MarkBOSS

Let's face it. You would, wouldn't you?

This week for me has been internet-less, and will be for a little while. Real life has decided to kick in and I have been moving into a flat in London. With moving home comes sacrifice, and this week and maybe even next week, our beloved Plus XP won’t be having as much input from its Chief Editor than it has done in the past.

But all real-life things aside now, I have been thinking. There were games journalists back in the day who did not have Internet at all. They could not scout out the latest sites for news, or get the low-down on the next big gaming expo by just clicking a button. But then, were there big gaming expos before the Internet was around? Basically, what I am trying to ask here is: Has the Internet boosted the games industry?

The more I think about this question the more I am going to say hell yes. This is for a three reasons.

1) Game Advertising

You’re probably scouting out things on YouTube like kittens looking surprised or just re-playing the same clip of a guy getting a football to the face over and over. But then you suddenly see an advertisement for Modern Warfare 2 or GTAIV: Episodes From Liberty City and you think ‘Ooooo I must take a gander at that.’ Back before the Internet, what did game advertisement have? OK, so maybe TV advertising and possibly the occasional poster, but nothing else really. Ever since the Internet has spawned, you have the tubes of London covered in the latest game, or your TV screens suddenly littered with pretty graphics of the next new release. All because of the Internet and its powerful way of adverting, meaning that more games are sold, and PR can splash out on shiny TV ads and billboards the size of the Isle of Wight.

2) News as soon as it hits

Journalists back in the day got some game news, typed it out and then waited about a week before it could get published in their new gaming magazine. That was fine for the gamers back then, but today the Internet is our friend; as soon as journalists see or hear anything, ‘BAM!’ it’s up on your favorite gaming site. No need to leave your house/cave to go out and get the latest on gaming news, because quite frankly you can find it whilst getting your screen tan. This in turn then makes gamers hunger for the game more, and if they hunger more they will tell their friends until you have about seventy thousand pre-orders on Play.com - which brings me to my next point.

3) Internet Shopping

Play.com, Amazon, CD WOW. These are the shops out there on the fast plains of the internet that sell games, and believe me that’s is not all of them. If I were to list each site that sells games on the net, I would have to write a new post to list them all. Net shopping has boosted gaming sales because gamers hear about the game from their favorite gaming site, then suddenly zoom off to one of these online stores and click BUY NOW in a manner probably reminiscent of Andy from Little Britain, seriously I wouldn’t be surprised if some gamers out there do actually say ‘I Want That One’ when they click BUY NOW.

There are probably more reasons out there, but these are the main three that spring to mind. The internet is a vast cyberspace that covers the whole planet. So here is something for you to ponder. If the Internet wasn’t invented, would we be gaming like we are today? Would games be so popular?

This game wouldn't even exist...

After that episode me and Killer stayed friends for a long time. We made a forum called creatures of the night which was devoted to role playing and tag stories. He then later made a new forum devoted to the Devil May Cry series called Devils Never Cry and took on a new alias, he would be then known as Leon! And I instead of Razer would be known as Garvaos! And ever since we have been scouting out forums and such its been great.

Recently we are on The Ready-up.net forums. Awesome place all gamers welcome. We both love it there. There has bee a thread recently, interviewing the forum posters and Leon and myself have been on te chopping block. The idea is the forum genral public post 5 questions for you to answer. I loved doing and Leon and I  thought it would be a good idea to post our iterviews on here. Becuase the questions were that good.

so with out further ado. here is mine:

Pick your favourite game, and tell us what the worst thing about it is.

Good questions. First think I gotta think of is what is my favourite game :p. There is a few out there, so I’m gonna say Halo 3, me being the FPS nut that I am.
Thing is with halo 3 its a great shooter. It really takes me back to my Days of Doom against my dad (but with better graphics and stuff obviously) But one thing that has annoyed me about it and has done since Halo 2 really. Is the health and damage system. In halo 1 you had a health bar with a shield that replenished. I could live with that. At least you had a health bar. But in halo 2 and 3 its all about he regenerating shield. Having grown up with FPS games, I see this as a bit cheap, especially for people online who do nothing but fly around in banshees running people over and blowing them up. No skill kills I call them.

If there was any game you could have converted to a well made movie, which would you choose?

Game and well made movie, lets face it, it will never happen :p But that aside a game I would like to see made into a Good movie would have to be probably devil may cry but they have to at all cost get Dante down to a tee. I mean if he is acted badly or just doesn’t have the essence Dante has the whole movie has gone down the crap hole. But I still would remain sceptical if they did/do brig out a DMC movie. I can be very picky when it comes to game movie conversions. I mean Vin diesel as master chief still leaves me mighty confused.

Do you feel that the second-hand market for games should end? Considering the damage it does to game studios? Or is the survival of high street videogame shops more important to you?

To me on a weekend I do like going out to town and spending money. Lets face it its the only fresh air I’m gonna get for the week :p So to see high street stores like game fizzle out will be a blow (due to the fact hat all I would be doing then is going round clothes shops with my girlfriend :p) As I am a student at the moment, my philosophy is the cheaper the game the better, if I find something decent second hand I will pick it up. I also do like to trade in games when I can (but my collection has got to a point where it just isn’t happening anymore). But with all that now said, looking at the bigger picture I understand the damage this is doing to the game studios, and looking at my collection the games I have I have pretty ,much bought brand new so when I’m swimming in cash I would be happier to buy games brand new. Even if it does mean me going round the clothes shops for the rest of my weekends :p

If you had to choose one game from the past to get remade into the NexGen world, which one would it be and why?

Streets Of Rage! Man I love that game, grew up with it on the mega drive. To see a next gen of that game would be awesome. But what they would have to do is up the combat system some what. Make it a 3rd person action game. Like a hack and slash but with punches kicks and throws. Basically like the new watchmen game but good. I dunno why but I kind of see Street Fighter combo type moves mixed in. A bit like the level mode on tekken but more thought out and with intelligent enemy AI

What is your most tragic gaming moment…

Saving over save files are always the classic aren’t they. We have all had our fair share of them. But as for my most tragic gaming moment? It has to b when I was on the last level of starwars: The force unleashed. I think it was near the last boss at the time. Was really going for it ad then suddenly BAM My game freezes. No worries I though ill just turn the console off and on again. The console then freezes on the Xbox 360 logo screen, makes a funny noise and RROD Kicks in. On the last level of the force unleashed. I was so angry!

Forums are good fun. If your board head to Ready-up.net

-Garv

Just to give you a little brief taste of what fallout 3 offers. First person (always my favorite perspective, especaliy in genral everyday life :p) RPG ost apacolypitic zombie killing awesomeness. I love it so. Its very rare for me to find a good RPG. I love RPG games but they haveto engross me and alot haven’t. The only RPG games that have engrossed m to the point of never seeingthe outside again are Fable1+2, golden sun 1, Kingdom hearts 1 (untill i got the why the hell am i playing a disney come kids game which is surprisingly challenging reality check) Crisis Core final fantasy VII and of course fallout 3. I’ve tried FF 3, Blue Dragon, Golden sun 2, Kingdom hearts 2 and some othr i cant think of at the mo but they did not do anything for me.

Haven’t sunk my teeth into PoP yet but you gotta save these things. I’ll tell you more when i play it.

Well expect another update soon i feel another eview comeing on.

Every Pixel has meaning in Castlevania: SOTN

To me playing castlevania was like watching a painting come to life on screen. And tat is one of the man reasons even from just only playing it for an hour or so it will be down as one of the best games of all time.

I ten started thinking what other games I thought were quite amazing visually back when i was playing on the mega drive and on the pc. I then remembered one of my all time favorite mega drive games. Alienstorm, from what i remember the game play was very simple but the aliens looked pretty ghastly. I took the chance to look at some scree shots today to find that even though Alienstorm was a totally different game. It had the same attension to detail within the alien enemies.

eventhough its not on the same visual level as Castlevania, Alienstorm has great character detail

as you can see the aliens get a good depth of detail to get their lumpy texture across to the gamer. This is a great use of pixle art in my opinion.

Around the same time i was playing Alienstorm i was playing the classic Wolfenstein 3D on the pc (In ‘can i play daddy’ mode from what i can remeber. I was still pretty young) So for this blog i desided to find an image. In my opinion even though the visuals are good they are really nothing compaired to the likes of SOTN or the charater detail in Alienstorm. Maybe this was an earlier game? or Pixles just really dont work in an FPS game? I’ll leave that for you to deside.

wolfenstein 3D: Not using pixles to their full visual potencial in my opinion

So there you have it really. Retro games to me are like classic art works. And when they are done well i cant help but just stop playing the game for a few moments and take in the the visuals.