Metal Gear 25th Anniversary

Few games hold that much sway or have so much success that they get to celebrate 10 or even 20th anniversaries and still go strong, but Metal Gear Solid is celebrating it's 25th! This magnificent series will always hold the title (personally of course) for most influential, successful, enjoyable and downright amazing game series I've ever played, or even that I know of. To celebrate Metal Gear turning 25years young - fans were treated to something a little bit special..

Today, I had the extraordinary pleasure of shaking the hand of one of my great inspirations and heroes, Hideo Kojima. Hideo, along with renowned Metal Gear Solid artist Yoji Shinkawa made an appearance at the Uniqlo t-shirt store located on Oxford Street in London to promote the new t-shirt range being released in celebration for Metal Gear Solid's 25th anniversary. I'd known about the t-shirts for a little while already as I follow Kojima, Konami and Uniqlo on twitter (and you should too!) but not until a few days ago did I find out about Kojima and Shinkawa's involvement - needless to say, the train tickets to London were booked before you could shout SNAKE!!!! The t-shirts themselves I have to say are actually gorgeous, theyre very well presented and look very attractive. A lot of gaming related apparal can seem tacky or even just fan made in a printing shop but after looking at and buying several, not only can I confirm they LOOK awesome but theyre of outstanding quality. If you don't live local to London but still want to get your hands on some Metal Gear goodies you can order the t-shirts from the Uniqlo website here

Its me!

As is to be expected for such high brow guests, the demand for both the Metal Gear Solid legends was massive, with well over a hundred queuing at the store's door in the freezing temperatures at the ungodly hour of 6am (myself included) when the shop itself did not open until 9. As well as being able to see Metal Gear Solid's creator in the flesh, fans were able to bring along one piece of merchandise for both Kojima and Shinkawa to sign, and there was certainly no shortage of wondrous loot. Ranging from simple Metal Gear Solid PS1 covers, to 20th anniversary boxes to my own Premium Limited Edition Metal Gear Solid box, it was obvious that there was no shortage of fandom in the building and some very dedicated fans with undeniably impressive Metal Gear collections.

This kind of event is always nice for gamers as its almost as if those behind it are giving something back. Hardcore gaming fans and even those who just buy games and enjoy them are giving creators, developers, artists etc their money, time and care and it is nice to know that some care enough to give back in the form of signings and the like. The cynics amongst you will say that they only made appearances to sell more t-shirts and undoubtedly that will have played in a part in the decision, but Kojima and Shinkawa did not have to sit and sign over 200 individual piece of fan merchandise. Nor did they have to give out special prizes to some lucky fans but hey - they did.

This kind of event is also a chance for gamers to branch out and meet others they may otherwise not have the chance to - a chance to meet and share the passion which they may once have thought only they had. Or ya know, could just be an excuse to get dressed up and have a laugh! Regardless, the event was an amazing opportunity and experience and I'm grateful that I had the chance to go and meet one of my personal inspirations while also buying some nice gaming loot!

On a personal note I would like to thank the Uniqlo store and staff members for their patience, friendliness and for setting up the event in teh first place. Many thanks also go to Konami and of course Kojima-San and Shinkawa-San for making appearances, you made a LOT of people happy; myself definitely included. Thanks to all of you, I now have  what is undoubtedly my most prized possession.

GAME over.

Even I have to admit that title is PUNbelievable. Ok, I'll stop that. The past few weeks have presented some very troubling news for both retailers and gamers alike. In today's blog post we'll be going over these events and what they could mean for the future of gaming.

2012 is now well under way and the past few weeks have been BIG for gaming. With things like the Assassin's Creed III trailer hitting the web and massive blockbusters Mass Effect 3 and Street Fighter x Tekken being released, the year is finally starting to live up to 2011 already. However, no doubt at least some of you will have noticed that UK gaming store giant the GAMEgroup (owners of GAME and Gamestation) stocked neither Mario Party 9, Mass Effect 3, Street Fighter x Tekken and since it's release on Friday, this weeks hotly anticipated title Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City. Why? Unfortunately lads and ladettes, the reason is: GAME(station) will soon be gone.


Upon hearing this news I was extraordinarily disheartened, countless times I've wandered into Gamestation for a browse, had some friendly banter with staff, even competed in small local tournaments there. It'll be sad to see it go. On the flip-side however, as the company desperately attempts to snatch up some much needed funds, prices on games, consoles and accessories already have and are bound to continue plummeting, so get yourself down to your local store to grab some bargains! 


But the story doesn't end there..This could be a real reflection of things to come. HMV, Gamestation..  High street retailers are going out of fashion right now - just think of how much easier and even cheaper it is to order a game from amazon as opposed to going to the shop and picking it up. So if they re dying off even now, what does that say about the future? We are in a digital age people, its not long until traditional ships will be gone as we know them. With technology the way it is now and with the undoubted advances to come, how long until gaming goes completely digital? 

Well, you can already download full games from both PSN and XBLA- so it may not come as a surprise to wonder whether or not ALL game sales will one day soon become digital. This would change the way games are bought forever - no more lending, trading, buying ore-owned games.. No doubt the companies would benefit, but us as gamers would undoubtedly suffer for it. But when have companies ever really taken that into account? 

To all the mums out there

Dedicated to: Joy Shell
Happy mothers day.

I know it's a tiny bit too late but in light of mothers day; This is just a quick one for all the mums out there.

Its always important to know where you want to go in life. But equally, it's as important not only to know where you are, but also where you've come from. I know that right now I've a massive passion for video games. I know that this is only the case because of where I've come from. Growing up my siblings and I never wanted for much. I had a SEGA, Gamegear, Gameboy, SNES, Playstation, PS2 - and as the years went on and new consoles were released; I got them in the form of birthday or Christmas presents, and there's one person in particular to thank for that - mum. But even having the consoles didn't build my key interest into what it was today.


Some of my fondest gaming memories come from my childhood, whether they be ps1 gaming marathons or playing Dragonball Z with my brother, but some stand tall even further back than that. A few days ago I brought back Sonic Generations (another gift from mum) to my house and hooked it up to the main television in my front room. My mum happened to wander in and her eyes lit up at the sight of the spiky blue speed freak hedgehog.

When I was barely old or big enough to get my hands around a SEGA Megadrive controller, we'd sit for hours and hours together me and her playing through various levels of sonic and seeing her that happy at a game in turn made me feel happy. It was great to see her so enthralled with a game again and brought back heavy nostalgia. I cant remember the last time we bonded properly over a videogame and it occurred to me, her sitting with me and playing through sonic with me for all those hours definitely shaped my gaming passion into what it is today - and for that I can only say thank you.

So gamers, even if it is just once in a blue moon, remember one of the most important people in your life - who brought you into the world, fuelled your gaming addiction for years and probably, like mine, still funds and fuels it now.

Have a happy mothers day Mums, we appreciate you!

Gamer Girls part 2

Ok, before we get down to the main issue here; let me start by saying I don't mean to offend anyone by this article - it's simply my response to the emails I've had! As I'm sure most of you have read the last blog on girl gamers, (if not, go now!) and it seems there's certainly no shortage of opinions on the matter!

I was actually quite shocked at the level of reply that the article generated, initially from the girls who showed both appreciation and agreement (glad you liked it lasses!) but then I was more surprised to find a massive number of emails and comments from the other side, from lads. So let's get down to what you think..

How gamers feel when this kind of gamer girl comes along

Reading through all the responses I got and even the 2 or 3 blog posts that my article inspired, there seems to be one resounding conclusion from the lads - they're all fine with gamer girls.. Or at least some of them. It seems that the fellas can take getting whooped by a girl in gaming, so long as they don't emphasise the fact that it happened or is so shocking because they're a girl. Now I can actually see where everyone is coming from with this. I've no problem with girl gamers (as you all know) but I admit that it shouldn't actually make a difference that they're girls that are playing.

Let's put it a different way, does this sound familiar? 'Yeah that's right, I'm a GIRL and I play games, SO WHAT, BIG DEAL I bet I could beat any of you guys. How does it feel to get your ass beat by a GIRL? Bet you're pretty shocked to see a girl who actually likes to play videogames, well I do so don't be sexist...' and the list of stereotypical, general nonsense spoutings could go on forever - we've heard them all. What makes it worse is that said female culprit then acts so surprised, shocked and upset when told to shut up or more likely, get back in the kitchen by the male players she's angered with her nonsense. (Not my words, everyone knows this is the most common response!) 

If you're still confused this picture should explain all - the difference between a gamer girl (BAD.) and a Girl Gamer (good!)

Now, a lot of female gamers are perfectly fine and don't do this BUT we all know that there are those who do. You know who you are, and stop it. You are giving your gender a bad name and only promoting the annoying stereotype.

So that about covers both sides of the debate now, I'd love to hear a girls response to this maybe? The only sensible and accurate conclusion I can draw from this is that both genders are fine with female gamers, just not the ones that make a spectacle out of it because of the fact they've got some lovely lady lumps - Just like these ones here..

The Gamer Girl

Not literally, domestic abuse ain't cool.

Stereotypes are rife in gaming. The average gamer used to be typecast as a male, teenage shut in with little - no social interaction at all and with all the perks that come with such a lifestyle(weight, spots, etc). Now, there are no stereotypes - or at least there shouldn't be. Now games are aimed at all kinds of demographics. I've seen children as people ranging from 5-65 playing games in recent years, but above all, one stereotype reigns supreme.. The gamer girl.

Yes, the gamer girl. This often thought fictitious creature is the object of many a man's desire but is so rarely found it remains just that, a desire. But why? Why are there so few girls picking up and playing as opposed to their male counterparts? Well, perhaps its reverse stereotyping. I asked a few of my friends who are girls (yes I have real life friends too..) who DON'T play games and they said it was classed more as a guy thing and that they had no interest in it. When I pursued this further it's because they classed all games as 'Fifa' or 'CoD'. Ladies; let's get one thing straight. There are millions of games out there, they don't all revolve around kicking a ball round a field or pointing a gun at someone. Though I would be willing to play a game where the character points a gun at people kicking a ball round a field for a living, but I digress.. The point is, there are games out there for everyone, all interests and play styles and now more than ever you are likely to find something to suit you if you just give it a try.

But as we all know, there are Twoface(s) to every coin (If you get it, good for you). Just as there are girls who don't play games, there are girls that do. A few close girl friends of mine (No really, I DO have friends!) and even my girlfriend actively enjoy gaming. Sure my girlfriend pretty much just plays the Sims, but so what? Its a game and she plays it, she doesn't have to be playing 24/7. But again, there are girls who are really heavily involved in their games, and there's nothing wrong with that. That's why it's nice to see groups like [GIRL]'s of PS3 popping up, actively attempting to get the girl gamers out there for the world to see. Its something that everyone should be proud to do, if you enjoy something why not let everyone know about it? What we do helps define us, and you never know - you might even meet new people and make some good friends because of it. So if you are a girl, go ahead and give them a twitter add

Except if you're into like hardcore S+M, or peeing on people while they sleep.. Keep that to yourself.

Branching out!

A cop out, maybe! But worry not valued readers, I shall be giving you a proper and full blog post tonight / tomorrow :) In the mean time, be good little minions and go and like / follow our Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr pages! I'll give you many kisses if you do.

Try before you buy

Today's blog is all about demos. I remember the old days, the good days, when I'd go to the corner shop or Newsagents and spend my entire weeks pocket money on a magazine. For the most part I didn't read the magazine at all, I bought it for one thing - the ps1 demo disc. Several little playable snippets of games that were to be coming out soon. As I grew up I noticed these discs became less prominent, and I realise now that demos in general are less prominent within the gaming industry.

This confused me a little but admittedly I can see the sense in it - think of how many games you've bought in the past that have been either not what you expected them to be or just utter shite that you wouldn't waste 5 minutes even bothering with. However, it could go the other way; you could demo a game and that demo could push you to eagerly awaiting a release date and have you queueing outside your nearest Gamestation 'til some ungodly hour in the morning so you can fork out your hard earned cash for it. So, are demos a good thing? A bad thing? Or just.. demos.

For the consumer

For you and me, the average (viewtiful) Joe, game demos are undoubtedly a good thing. What could be better than having the opportunity to test a game before you buy it. A game that you either are unsure of, think is going to be awesome, or maybe a game you've never seen or heard of at all. Expectations can be raised, lowered and created from simply trying out a sample of the game. Think of it as tasting a cake before you commit to buying it, it lets you know what you're letting yourself in for.
Recently, the Asura's Wrath demo hit the PSN (SEN?) store. Out of sheer boredom alone I decided to download it and was very pleasantly surprised. as a result of playing the 10 minute demo which showcased the games gameplay, visuals, a look into the story - I now can't wait for it's release and will definitely be picking it up. Demos get a thumbs up!

For the company 

Now this can go either way. If a games company have made a bad game and a demo is released, everyone could play it, realise its crap and then no one would buy it. From this point of view, demos are bad. However, there's 2 sides to every story, 2 faces to every coin, 2 balls in my pants. Just as a demo can squash any hopes a company has of releasing a blockbuster, it can also catapult a game into peoples must buy list (ala me and Asura's Wrath) and from this point of view, demos are definitely a good thing. AGAIN WITH THE HOWEVER. Now, a different slant.. Not releasing a demo at all is probably the best thing a company can do (in regards to sales). Not releasing a test version of the game to the general public means that they can't be harmed by it. It can't fall short of peoples expectations, it cant show people just how bad your game may be, and it means that people may buy the final version out of curiosity if nothing else. So from a company's perspective, there's no real reason to release a demo.

The final verdict
My stand on this one is simple ladies and gents, i'm not a games producer and quite frankly if a game is awful I want to know so i dont waste any money on it. Demos are a good thing, companies should be good to us, the gaming masses, and more demos should be released. Also, everyone should go and download the Asura's Wrath demo free from the PSN store right now - if for no other reason than to see the sheer SIZE of one of the enemies.

Best / worst of 2011

Recycling images is cool.

This should really have been my first post for 2012 for obvious reasons but in truth I've had a bit of trouble in actually solidifying my choices. If you look at my Golden Joystick Awards post here you'll see a small selection of the games that I deemed best in their respective category, except for Game Of The Year. The choices available at the time featured a selection of games that I just didn't deem fit to receive such an award, but that has since changed. Though not featured on the Golden Joysticks GOTY due to their relatively late release date in 2011, I've managed to narrow my choices down to 2 games: Batman Arkham City and Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Ok, this is going to be difficult to do without getting into a full scale review which, at the moment, i don't want to do, as I want to give the game a post of its own to ensure I dont miss a single thing about it because I loved it that much. I'd never played any of the Deus Ex games before, only vaguely heard about it. I didn't know what type of game it was, any of the background story, I literally went in blind but something about it just drew me in so I asked for it as a present off one of my family for my birthday. What a choice it was. There is almost nothing I can fault about this absolute gem. The characters act and interact as if they are genuinely interested in each other and each one is in his / her own way likable / dislikable making them all well rounded. The graphics, though nothing cutting edge, are certainly impressive. Gameplay brings nothing unheard of to the table but uses a tried and tested formula and allows players either to sneak or run in all guns blazing and the story is relatively easy to follow yet provides entertainment enough to make the player want to carry on. The only downside is that towards the end, the game feels slightly rushed - end game enemies (notably the final boss) feel lack luster and almost out of place. Regardless, a brilliant game I would fully recommend.

Batman: Arkham City

Sequel to the 2008 blockbuster, Batman Arkham Asylum, I expected great things from Arkham City and boy did it deliver. Arkham City transcends the infamous Arkham mental institute and takes Batman into a large o open city where he can be free to grapple and swing from rooftop to rooftop seamlessly in a Spiderman 2-esque style. Traversing the back alleys of Arkham City presents Batman with various side missions ranging from solving the mysterious murders of several inmates of the mega prison to stopping random acts of violence against political prisoners. The fantastic combat from the first game is still present and has been relatively unchanged, with the exception of the player now being able to take on more enemies than before at any one time, showcased impressively several times in the game; notably The Penguins Arena. Combat itself is intensely satisfying, flipping back and forth between enemies and almost being able to feel the angry, helpless inmates bones crunch as Batman brings down an elbow onto one of their knees. The game showcases a host of Batman's fan favourite enemies, from The Penguin to Mr Freeze and of course; The Joker. Mark Hamill once again plays Joker fantastically in a performance fans will never forget. Couple all this goodness with more Riddler trophies to get and a new playable character: Catwoman, its an all around incredibly enjoyable game with enough features to keep people coming back for more.



Dead Island

I'm sure you all remember the cinematic trailer of Dead Island that spread through the Internet like wildfire. It was a beautiful, emotion invoking masterpiece that catapulted this game from obscurity right into the public eye, making people like me extremely anxious for its release. Well, if we hadn't learnt before we have now - NEVER base your aspirations and expectations for a game on its trailer. The trailer did not reflect the game in any way, because the game for the most part was just plain bad. An FPS zombie game featuring 4 characters each with their own specialisation in either melee, thrown, firearms or melee weapons, Dead Island was host to repetitive and often boring gameplay while being incredibly buggy (picture enemies floating through the air, getting stuck on items that weren't there, that sort of thing), dire voice acting and bad graphics. It was also accused of being racist, which, it is. This game was a massive disappointment for me, and for that would earn my worst of 2011 if it weren't for...

Thor.
This game is that bad, that insufferably terrible that it gets a class of it's own. It doesn't just win my worst game of the year, it wins my worst game I've played in memorable history. Diabolical gameplay mechanics, graphics, combat system, voice acting.. The lot. Avoid, at all costs, this blight on gaming.

And now for..Please buy DLC to continue.

(And sex)

Ok, now let me just get one thing straight before we get to the main point here. I don't have a problem with downloadable content; if it's done properly. The way I see it, there are three kinds of downloadable content.

The Good kind:
This may seem disconcertingly vague as a description but it's really the best way I can describe it. I believe that downloadable content should be a reward, or even a gift from developers to the fans. TecmoKoei and Rocksteady have shown prime examples of this, with Rocksteady giving Arkham City customers a free Batman: Earth One skin in celebration of Christmas. TecmoKoei have released numerous free character skin packs and weapon packs, both on PSN and free to those whom are hawk-eyed on their various fan pages like Facebook and Twitter.
However, to simply expect a company to dish out free content to people is both unreasonable and incredibly unlikely. When it comes to the bottom line, these developers create games to earn profit and DLC is invariably a way to generate extra revenue, which is where the second 'good kind' comes into effect. DLC that isn't essential but isn't pointless either. The best way to embody this is with Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow DLC Reverie and Resurrection. The game boxed itself off fantastically and was a true gem in my eyes but these DLC were released to show what happened between the final scene of the game and the, aftermath of it. It was a nice little bonus, the game was perfectly fine without it but buying the DLC was enough for me to take it off the shelf and pop it back in the machine (even if the 2 DLC packs should have been one as they were both short and somewhat lacking)

The Neutral kind:

Downloadable, and buy this I mean, bought skins and background music or extra weapon packs of little to no importance at all, released simply for slight game enhancements or variations. Things that most people won't really bother with, but die-hard fans will want to purchase. These could really be given away for free but usually cost not that much, doesn't really harm to charge for them as businesses are, after all, about making money and these probably generate very little revenue as the number sold will be relatively low.

The annual fathers for justice meeting.

The BAD kind:

Here we are, the naughty corner; where a hell of a lot of developers are sat ignorantly sucking their thumbs, all accountable for following this route. The bad kind of download content can simply be reduced to, something which you should not have to pay for. It can be argued by people that you shouldn't really have to pay for anything beyond the game itself, and vice versa. Characters, multiplayer playlists or game modes, multiplayer itself that is actually ALREADY on the disc! (I'm looking at you here Capcom) 

Yes indeed, Capcom are notoriously bad for this kind of thing. Just look at 3 of their big releases, smash hit Resident Evil 5 was revealed to have multiplayer on disc but could only be unlocked if the DLC was bought. Street Fighter IV was released, a flurry of DLC followed, then Super Street Fighter 4, then after that Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition. Marvel vs Capcom 3 and the subsequent Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 is a mirror of this. This remorseless money grabbing technique is nothing less than shameful. 

However, can the developers really shoulder all the blame? Well in a sense yes, they're the ones doing it - but it begs the question, would they continue doing it on this large a scale if people weren't buying it? Maybe, maybe not. Unfortunately we'll probably never know, there will always be people willing to mindlessly and blindly shell money out to developers; be it rightly or wrongly. I suppose it's their money at the end of the day, and they have the right to spend it on whatever they like. Except the Thor game. It was AWFUL.

No really, its terrible.