Most anticipated

Well I failed my goal of getting a blog out every day.. Oh well! Looks like I'm on a write as I please basis now!

Today I'll be giving a list of my most anticipated releases on ps3 this year, as well as listing games that recently were released that I want! Unfortunately i have to pick and choose my games as my funds for gaming are extremely limited so the list is pretty short for now but in no particular order, here we go:

Dynasty Warriors 7 - 1 April
I haven't really been following Koei much as of late. Way back early last year i picked up their latest Dynasty Warriors title, it being the only current gen Dynasty game, and found it simply appalling - i just couldn't place why. The character designs had changed, even character weapons. The combat felt broken and disjointed and i expected more all round. Those of us (like me) who had gotten used to playing certain characters such Xiahou Dun (pictured) with his monstrous sword, now played completely different with different weapons. I was a big fan of Dynasty Warriors' last gen instalments, but was an even bigger fan of the similar Samurai Warriors, so until Koei finally releases (if they ever do) news about a current gen Samurai Warriors, this is the game I'm keeping my eyes on.

Fist Of The North Star

However, Koei have also recently released a game by the name of Fist Of The North Star. Now depending on your interests, this will either excite you incredibly (and if that's the case you've already played it) or mean nothing. Fist of The North Star is a very popular anime/manga based around hero Kenshiro and, as standard, tremendous fighting. This game uses the same fighting and level mechanics as the Dynasty / Samurai Warriors series and as a fan of anime i hugely anticipate this game. After downloading the demo from the Playstation Network i can say that I want this game even more as it lives up to any expectations I have and seems a massive improvement on the style of Dynasty Warriors 6.

Mortal Kombat 9 - 19 April
A decent Mortal Kombat game has been long anticipated on PS3 so it's only right it takes it's rightful place in this list. Mortal Kombat has been giving gamers gratuitous amounts of over the top gore and violence in the bloodiest of ways, and most of them have been good, if not great. Recent adaptations have, however, been lack luster. Luckily it seems this time round that Mortal Kombat will be pulling out all the stops to make sure it's return is triumphant and fantastically violent, just what the fans want. And speaking of being famed for violence, this time round there is a new addition to the Mortal Kombat roster, and it is only that of the God killer himself - Kratos. Reception of this has been varied but admittedly he does fit in well. I won't say much more on this game but instead let you see for yourself why I am looking forward to it so much. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9KUUlRYnlc

Dead Island
I hold special interest for this one and shall be keeping a VERY close eye on it in the coming months. I'm a huge fan of zombies in all forms of entertainment but especially gaming. My last run in with them was in the form of Dead Rising 2 which though fun, was a little too disappointing. it got boring fast and zombies were more of a joke than a serious threat. However, this game seems to be taking a very different route. Not only that, but the trailer is one of the most emotional, beautiful and enticing trailers I have ever seen - and that's not just for games, for anything. That in itself is something the developers should be very proud of. Again I'll let you see for yourself exactly what has me so excited. Brace yourself, this is one of the greatest trailers you will ever witness. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZqrG1bdGtg&oref=http://www.youtube.com/results%3Fsearch_query%3Ddead%2Bisland%26aq%3Df&has_verified=1

Twisted Metal

Twisted Metal - A name that brings to surface hundreds of memories of one of my favourite games of all time. Back on the original Playstation me, my brother and our friends put countless hours in blowing up famous world monuments. There's just something gratifying about riding up the Eiffel Tower playing a crazed murderer who's head is on fire, driving a tripped out ice cream van, or terrorising other drivers as a war survivor, donning the skull of a dead friend, firing missiles and machine gun bullets from a modded motorbike. At this years E3 convention, Twisted Metal PS3 was the last reveal at the Sony Conference. The cinematic trailer (no, bugger off and go look for it yourself) drove fans wild and as if that wasn't enough, a replica Sweet Tooth ice cream van drove on stage. This was enough to make me squeal with excitement as i watched the whole thing through my laptop screen. The last run in I had with Twisted Metal was in the form of Twisted Metal: Black on Playstation 2 which was also a fantastic game which i would recommend. This time round we see Sweet Tooth taking a front seat (pardon the pun) role in a battle against Darkside with one of the most exciting prospects.. Online multiplayer! Whether the reviews end up positive or negative this is still a title i will not be missing out on.

Hollywood - the game!

Video games are now an undeniable form of entertainment. Where as in the past it may well have been shunned or disregarded as a serious industry in copmparrison to film and music, this is now not the case. Not only that but the video game industry is now one of the most popular forms of entertainment markets of them all. Video games, thanks to the general casualisation of the industry with the introduction of things like the Wii and Doctor Kawashima's Brain Training are reaching out to audience's that had never been considered before. No longer are games associated to the pale faced, spot ridden shut in teenager, but now all people of all ages from all walks of life.

Considering this, it's no surprise that the money grabbers over in Hollywood want to stick their money grabbing hands into the proverbial pie, usually with disasterous results. Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Alone In The Dark, Street Fighter, Tekken, Mortal Kombat, the list of video to film conversions goes on. The one thing they have in common? They have, for the most part, all been awful. Not one game to film conversion has reveived above 50% on Rotten Tomatoes, with most averaging below 30%.

Many a time have I cringed at the simple idea of some of my favourite games being transitioned to the big screen - most notably Resident Evil, which have without a doubt - been terrible. The first film's relation to the game series was tenuous at best - pretty much the only relation was the fact that there were zombies, the drop of the name Umbrella, T-Virus and..er.. That's about it. Stand alone, this could have been acceptable. However.. They just couldn't help themselves, they felt the need to attempt to reach out to the gaming audience, an exciting concept. They decided to take one of the most menacing, terrifying and relentless enemies from the entire series, the tenacious Nemesis.



The green skinned, purpe tentacled, leather clad behemoth terrified gamers everywhere when he refused to stay down after taking heavy amounts of machine gun fire and shotgun blasts - only to get back up again and attempt to smash the Racoon Police Department Doors. He was made only more horrifying when seemingly out of nowhere he appeared atop building, equipped with rocket launcher. He was an unrelenting force of destruction and death, the true definition of Nemesis.

Now i do applaud Hollywood for their attempts to recreate Nemesis aesthetically, they actually achieved that pretty well - with the exception of a blue eye instead of a deathly white one. Oh, and with the addition of a gattling gun as well as rocket launcher. But that's where my praise ends. Jill Valentine as well as Carlos Oliviera and Nicolai. Carlos portrayed as a short, spiky haired badass, Jill Valentine as a sarky, jealous break the rules police officer. Nicolai, the game's main antagonist, is in the film portayed as a cheeky ladies man who gets killed almost instantly by a cerberus as he is too occupied with flirting with Jill. Perhaps the most disgraceful aspect of this film however, is the ending. Nemsis, face to face in a battle to the death with Alice (literally hand to hand punching, no tentacle, body ripping action) which is quite frankly embarassing - get's beaten. When ordered to kill Alice Nemsis refuses and instead, in an ode to his humanity, chooses to save Alice for the greater good. Pathetic.
I could go on and on about how dire they are, the third film involviong the original Resident Evil master monster.. Tyrant. The hulking, seemingly clawed demon was reduced to a mere joke, portrayed as a pretentious TALKING doctor. I've yet to witness the latest film, but as it includes Albert Wesker - i can only imagine they've somehow ruined him.

So why don't the films work? A simple 2 answers - real life has limitations. In a game, anything is possible, monsters and demons can look however the creator wants them to. In real life, in film, people can only do what the human body and the technology available to us allows us to do, which simply does not work as well, the amount of options instantly becomes limited. Secondly - the audience. Film makers are after as much money as possible, so they generalise the film, plot and characters. Giving a character like Nemsis a human nature and 'good' side, appeals to more people than a freak intent on killing. More appeal means more sales - after all they have no reputation to live to, what do they care if it's an awful film and nothing like the game? People will still go and see it just in case it IS like the game, we live in hope right? The only film i can say i remotely liked linking to games was Silent Hill, because it stuck closely to the first game, but still suffered some changes for the public. But, for every 1 good game film there are dozens of terrible ones. Just look at Street Fighter...

The golden era of gaming

'The golden era of gaming' is a quote that is thrown around pretty frequently, but seldom when used do those who use it (on separate occasions) agree on it's meaning, or even know what it's meaning is. It is for this reason that i believe, the golden era of gaming is subjective and individual, it refers to a period in the individuals life when gaming was at it's peak, be it for whatever reason.


The Wikipedia (what a reliable source..) definition is, 'The golden age of video arcade games was a peak era of video arcade game popularity, innovation, and earnings' The date placement of this is placed around the late 70s into the early 80s. I'll save the history lesson for a later blog when i'm stuck for ideas or have no games to review - but as I wasn't even alive in this golden age, i don't class it as the golden era of videogames.


No, for me the golden era was the 90s. The age of the Playstation and the Nintendo 64. I have been gaming as long as i can remember, from the early days of Altered Beast and Golden Axe when i could barely hold a controller, to that one faithful Christmas morning when me, my brother and sister unwrapped the last present under the tree - the present which changed my life forever, The dream machine itself, Playstation. The machine with it's dirty gray casing with it's huge power and open disk buttons, so ugly yet beautiful. For me, this was the machine that made and did it all. My all time classics (each will be getting their own blog) were on this console; Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil, Front Mission 3, Castlevania Symphony Of The Night, Silent Hill, some of the highlights of my gaming career. I was young, multiplayer consisted of having 2 pads and actually sitting next to each other. Trophies were non-existant and the internet was a distant dream, i was too young for all that.

The leap into 3D gaming had just begun, i was amazed by the (at that time) mind blowing cutscene graphics of Final Fantasy 8, and battle graphics of Front Mission 3. The first game i got was Crash Bandicoot, as I believe, did many people. But in all actuallity, i don't really remember much, if any of it. One of the earliest game memories I have is in fact me and my dad coming home from Blockbuster (those were the days) and playing Resident Evil despite being horribly underage. It was then that i fell in love with one of my favourite gaming characters of all time - Albert Wesker. The slicked back blonde hair, the sunglasses and the voice, he was awesome. Speaking of voice, the voice acting in Resident Evil, looking back, is simply terrible - but i digress.


That's not to say it's not hard to choose one's particular golden age - it was a close cut between Playstation and SNES and even N64. Anyone who played it can and will agree that 4 way split screen Goldeneye were some of the best gaming, and even family memories they've ever had - it was pure simple fun. All of these eras however had one thing in common - it was all about the game. It was about giving a fresh, genuinely appealing storyline, graphics were on the backburner and companies weren't afraid to try new things. It saddens me that  gaming youth of today, in a market rife of bland, similar FPS' believe that they live in gamings golden age simply because the graphics have improved so much. 

The point i'm trying to make, is that I personally don't think there IS a golden age of gaming, if it was golden to you then it was your golden age, no matter what anyone says you will always think of it as THE golden age because it was so personal.On a sub note, I also think it would be beneficial for the everyone, both the industry and us the consumers, if developers and companies returned to the 90s even 80s way of doing things, that is stop concentrating on going that one step further graphically, when it means sacrificing what could be a great game with a lack of story or even character development.


I'd love to know what people think on this, when your golden age was - so feel free to let me know.

Woooah Sweet Child O.. OH MY GOD I DIED

When it comes down to it, gamers can be split into many distinct groups, what genre of game they play, whether they use the analog controller or an arcade stick for fighting games, the conservationist who hordes all ammo and special items - just in case there's something a bit bigger hiding round the corner, or the fire everything you have until it dies kind of player. But the distinction I'm drawing up today is not to do with game play per say, but music.

 I for one, can NOT listen to music while i game. I'll hold my hands up and admit that i take gaming pretty seriously, it's my biggest hobby and it's what i do to relax, i enjoy it. I'll also hold my hands up and say I'm fiercely competitive - i hate to lose, but realistically who doesn't? Thus, when I'm playing a competitive game online, be it fighting, FPS, Warcraft PvP, I like to be able to hear what's going on. Any CoD player will tell you there are unmistakable sounds, the dreaded click of a claymore, the sound of bullets giving away enemy positions, and yeah even footsteps of that one player who just keeps on backstabbing you.. Listening to music just drowns these out. I find it more of a distraction than anything, my favourite songs actually bug me because they're taking my attention away from what my brain is telling me is more important. Maybe I'm just horribly over-competitive?

But that's not the only reason I dislike listening to music in gaming sessions. In non-competitive, (single player for example) games, I like to listen to the soundtrack.If the developers have gone through the trouble to make the game look as visually impressive or play as well as it does, it's only fair i give the time to listen to the music too. I feel it helps with the atmosphere, which is something I'm big on in games, and more often than not the music fits perfectly with whatever it is I'm playing. I don't know about you but some thing just doesn't seem right about listening to Journey's, 'Don't Stop Believing' while having a troubled vampire hunter scale a colossal stone castle, unaware of what demons lay ahead of him - unless he needs a little motivation.

Despite having realised what i have written in the past 2 paragraphs, i realise that there is 1 exception to my dislike, Nazi Zombies. Those familiar with Treyarch's spin off game 'series' will know that in each map there is a hidden musical Easter egg. Whenever i find myself cutting the undead masses to ribbons with heavy machine gun fire, i love nothing more than to hear the heavy metal music of Elena Siegman playing in the background - it's just so fitting. I have a weird kind of trait when i play games like that and music that really fits starts playing, I imagine it to be kind of a story that's playing out - almost like a movie - and every movie needs a backing track, right? The Nazi Zombie songs have all in fact raised themselves to the heights of being in my top favourite songs on my iPod. Maybe it's all about finding the balance from a perspective of volume, or genre matching, I dunno.

But that's not to say that there aren't those who listen to music while gaming, much to the contrary in fact. I know many people who have music on in the background, or have it so loud the TV is inaudible. It was the realisation of this trait that led one of the PS3's big name games to implement the ability for players to create custom soundtracks for the multi player aspect of the game. Killzone 2 allows players to compile a list of songs stored on their Playstation, to be played whilst in the multi player of the game - a feature much praised by fans and critics alike, so it is undoubtedly a very normal thing to do.

However... This is more of a request than observation. There are those of you out there, you know who you are, who for some reason feel the need to play your music while gaming - which is fine - but with a headset on so that all of the lobby can see what awful taste you have. Not only that, but singing along, badly, please stop. Unless you're that 13 year old French kid i keep coming across who insists in singing Pink, with your high pitched voice, you can carry on - the laughs are just too good to miss out on.

Oblivium sempiternum daemonis

 The only worthwhile quote i could find in a truly fantastic game. Today's game - Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow

I picked Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow up a few days ago after having wanted it since hearing about it's release months ago, made only greater with the news that my favourite news in gaming was involved in it's development - Hideo Kojima. As a student i have to pick and choose my purchases as money isn't exactly.. existent, but this is a game I've wanted from the off. I have to say, it did not disappoint.

My first involvement with the Castlevania series was way back in my golden age of gaming, the PS1 era. The now cult classic Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night had everything i could possibly want from a game so baring that in mind i propelled the Castlevania series to the near top of my favourite gaming franchises. That 10 year old love affair seems so distant, and rightly so, as things have definitely changed, most notably of all the transition to 3D.

The Castlevania series had always been famous and appreciated with fans for it's 2D side scrolling graphics but the graphics so some fans were hesitant if not disappointed when it was announced Lords Of Shadow would be in full 3D. However, this is without a doubt one of the most visually stunning games i have ever come across. Environmentally, it is nothing short of beautiful. The background and foreground blend seamlessly, the towering Dark Lord' castle all to overpowering in the background, you get a real sense of vastness and it's just too easy to lose yourself in the colossal proportions of everything. One scene in particular has Gabriel, the protagonist, running along a huge iron chain leading into a Vampire's castle. The snow is thick and heavy, the silhouette of the castle becoming more and more viewable, every magnificent detail, towering over you, it was almost a piece of art. The game's design, both interior and exterior, work and succeed in giving off a nostalgic,  medieval feel which only compliments the game's atmosphere.

It's not simply the environment graphics which both impress and amaze, but also that of the characters themselves. Every facial expression is easily readable, the pain etched into the face of Gabrial all too recognisable. His movements are fluid and graceful, flowing easily with each attack. It is the monsters and demons which really show this graphical marvel however. Castlevania is famous for it's menagerie of vampires, ghosts and ghouls and they have all had a dramatic re imagining with this installment. Most monsters known to the franchises fans make an appearance, from the standard lycanthrope werewolf, to the larger worg and of course - vampires. It's hard not to feel that this time round they wanted the monsters to come across as genuinely scary, which i feel comes across well. Much more grotesque and animalistic than in previous games, the monsters genuinely do give a scary presence, if not from their quite realistic look than by the behaviour by which they are portrayed.

One of the reasons i loved Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night was the musical score. Admittedly, compared to past installments, the score in this game was somewhat lack luster, with no memorable pieces. However, that's not to say it isn't good. Realistically, if everything else has changed, graphics, atmosphere etc, then it only suits that the music would have to change to suit this, and it does. Low key orchestral music is constantly there, not enough to be actively taking attention, but just enough to be always noticeable. When entering combat there is a sudden shift, a faster tempo which perfectly fits with the fast paced action the game provides. Overall, the choir-esque music only compliments the game's religious and medieval aspects, all round adding to the intended. atmosphere. Not only the music, but Konami have definitely forked out something heavy for the voice actors. Non other than Sir Patrick Stewart, narrates the epic tale, also playing a supporting character with Robert Carlyle taking lead role. Both VAs must be applauded for what they bring to the table, a voice which fits the character so effortlessly. 

It's all very well if a game looks nice, but it has to have substance, and by that i mean story. Luckily, Castlevania doesn't disappoint on this front either. The main antagonist, Gabriel Belmont (Belmont, a name famous with series fans) is well rounded and likable enough to keep the player actively involved and wanting to know what happens next. Moral decisions and a sense of darkness within gabriel's own actions and thoughts provokes curiosity. This man, a servant of God whom has lost all faith in the heavens and is driven solely by love, it is a story people can relate to and due to that, the player actually wants to see what will happen. Will Gabriel succeed in his quest, are the subtle hunts given by the Dark Lords that his quest is for nought actually true? And what of Zobek, the seemingly faithful friend who holds an air of mystery, his methods questionable.. Well you'll have to play to find out. The story admittedly isn't blockbusting special, but it's refreshing and simple, which i for one applaud. 

Now onto the actual gameplay. Though the game is classed as an action/adventure, which it certainly lives up to; there are also many platform elements. When the player isn't slaying beats and demons of the underworld, they are controlling Gabriel to leap faithfully from ledge to ledge, climbing up massive stone towers or swinging from the tiniest hook imaginable to swing round through a window. The combat is rather basic, borrowing heavily from the God Of War style; square for light attacks and triangle for heavy - combining variations of the buttons for different combos and while normally this would take attention away from the game itself in LoS' case it does not. The action can jump to a rather rushed pace but not oo quick to follow, and the boss fights are nothing short of magnificent. Without giving too much away; simply chopping away at a 400ft titan isn't going to get you far..

New game mechanics, new graphics, new story and characters.. This is a big step for a franchise which has in all fairness, keep things fairly routine as far as things go. But the Konami team haven't forgotten about fans, oh no not at all. Even the name Belmont is a tip to fans as it is a famed name in the franchise, but fab favourite places such as Wygol Village and The Clock Tower make a triumphant return, radically redesigned but there non-the-less. And what a Castlevania be without the Vampire Killer? The whip which strikes fear into the heart of undead creatures everywhere is of course present, this time in the form of a battle cross, and as you can see - it gets the job done just fine..

So that's my take on Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow, if you want my opinion, this is a must play for PS3 owners, I hope you enjoyed reading!

Let's start with the basics

If this is primarily going to be a game based blog, we should start with some game based info. Pretty much the only console i play on is PS3. The fat, black 80gb monster of a mchine has been my unchallenged love interest for quite some time now, pretty much since I got it.
Prior to having my PS3 owned a Nintendo Wii, which was fun for a while, until the novelty of Wii Sports faded. Playing as my favourite game character Solid Snake did keep me going for well over a year on SSBB, though I digress.
My PS3 is my main hobby besides the guilty pleasure that is - World Of Warcraft. I have quit and relapsed many times now and thankfully am nowhere near playing it the extent i used to but i still sink quite a few hours into it..
So here they are; my top 10 games on the PS3 so far. I'll get round to doing individual posts explaining why at some point. Bare in mind, these are not necessarily in order of preference:

1) Metal Gear Solid 4
2) Call Of Duty: World At War
3) Resident Evil 5
4) Dante's Inferno
5) Fallout 3
6) Dragon Ball Raging Blast 2
7) Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow
8) Batman Arkham Asylum
9) Vanquish
10) Dead Rising 2

Agree, disagree?

Standard Introductory

Welcome to N-Tail's Outer Heaven, where i'll be spouting all my gaming related nonsense