Thanks one and all

Hey guys and girls.

I'm just here to say that I hope you all had a fantastic holiday and I hope you've got something going on for you for New Year's Eve.

Happy New Year. 2011!

Thanks.

Al

Review: GTA San Andreas

Hey folks; I hope you had a great break, but for me, its back to the grindstone. I could choose not to do this, but I want to. I really do. Its nice reviewing all the games of my past.

So, yes. I pulled out my old copy and started the game all over again and relived the moments of my childhood. Arguably one of the greatest games of the decade, Grand Theft Auto San Andreas.


So while playing the game, the first thing I must immediately comment on is the soundtrack. A marvelous account of music from the sixties onwards to the beginning of the game in 1992.
(Side fact; same year I was born)
One song of mention would be "A Horse With No Name" by America. This song actually got me onto the band. And they say games don't stimulate children to the outside world!
Not only was the soundtrack amazing, but the gameplay was very smooth. GTA was known for their smooth AI's and also how easily the game ran. But what this game really runs off is the fantastic gameplay. Rich, full, enticing and brilliant. Samuel L Jackson as Officer Tenpenny was a fantastic addition to the game and made the most fantastic bad guy to face your Protagonist, Carl "CJ" Johnston.
The storyline, the brilliant acting and even the Sound FX everywhere you went, was utterly brilliant. There's really not any more words in the English language to describe this game. 


Now, sadly, onto the bad points.
The game, while utterly brilliant, lacked just that small spark and that small spark was the graphics. While perfectly fine for its time, they were not as perfect as they possibly could have been. While looking back of its previous title, Grand Theft Auto Vice City, the graphics looked as though they were only slightly enhanced and changed, when barely a year later came the release of Mass Effect.
Sure the game was over a year later after the release, and a lot can change in a year, so I would agree with your statement.
While the large majority of the voice acting was just brilliant, some of the voices were on the borderline for racism and stereotypical. But one (other) could argue that if one could not be made fun of, no one can be. So in fairness, I am only disgruntled by some voices of characters such as Sean "Sweet" Johnson (The Protagonist's brother), Ryder and OC Log.


These simple annoyances can be overlooked and GTA San Andreas is a fantastic addiction to any player's list and is best to divulge into your love for gameplay, carnage, or the use of cheats for weird and wacky moments, such as parachuting off the modeled mountain of Mount Diablo. 


Out of 10, I gave Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas an 8.5/10

Thanks Everyone.

Firstly I want to say that over 150 views? Thanks very much for reading everything I post, I really appreciate it. 

Secondly, I want to wish you all a merry Christmas, a happy Quanza and a delightful Hanukkah. I hope you all have a brilliant holiday and a better year ahead of you.

Thanks all so much.
Much love
Al Russell

Review: Gears Of War 2

G'day folks.

Today, I'm here to review one of my most precious games. A game I have bought three times: This game has brought me much joy over the years, and as I type these words, I am listening to the music for the trailer to the sequel. Ladies and gentlemen, Gears of War 2.

As many people know, sequel to games are most developers chance of "Make Or Break", a chance for the game to be solely improved beyond belief or fail and fail the series all together, even kill the company. Fable II and Call of Duty 3 are perfect examples; both received bad reviews and thus were not as great as the developers hoped. But if only a few hiccups, Gears of War 2 rode the right wave and became an instant success. 
Gears of War was to become a classic and nearly every gamer (at least I know) has a copy of this game. As Gears of War 2 was released in November 2008, the game skyrocket and was an instant success. The gameplay was a brilliant addiction for the series and the voice recording suited the world fantastically. 

However, the small bugs did bother the majority of the gamers in this arena. Their biggest problem being the Multiplayer.
Not only did the multiplayer have bugs, it was also frustrating for a match to be found. Players were used to the COD4 type of Multiplayer matchmaking; quick, simple and gives the ability of choice to the player. However, Gears of War 2 wasn't as decisive as the games of its recent time. Finding a match could take a long time, sometimes an hour or so, and when it did, if the game wasn't stable, it was possible the player may be rejected to join. However, if the player could join, they would be free to no lag, a friendly community and the ability to kill fairly and decisively. The Gear team did release several map packs to try to fix this problem, but in the eyes of the gaming community, and for the gamers outside America, it only made the problem worse.

However, in this man's eyes, this could be overlooked. The actors gave it their all for the characters in this game and it paid off fairly well. The graphics were well designed for its time, the product itself brilliant and I for one cannot wait for the sequel. If the gameplay release at E3 can make me call out in excitement like a 9 YO child, to miss the game release would be foolish. 

Out of 10, I gave Gears of War II a 9.5/10

Upcoming Games

Hey folks

Recently I've been boosted up to 45 games. Me thinking that's a decent number, I thought hopefully in the coming year I could take it up to 60. Now my list for my upcoming games, as listed to the right, just below my profile picture  ===>
These games listed are mostly older titles, some being with the Original Xbox Console. But hopefully as soon as I buy some more recent games.
The first on the list is IGM's (Inside Gaming) Game Of The Year, Red Dead Redemption, which I bought barely 5 hours ago. I wasn't attracted to it at first, but after reading many reviews and many of my friends suggesting this game, I finally bought it. I've only just started doing a few of the missions and I'm starting to get into it. 
As you may have read earlier, I'm also looking forward to many upcoming games for next year and early 2012, such as Mass Effect 3, Prototype 2 and even the whisperings of the new Assassin's Creed coming in late next year  also....but this is only a rumour after all. 

So I've planned out the next few months of the reviews and such, when new games come in, so shall their reviews. I'm hoping to finish Red Dead Redemption by at least mid January. Also, I have recently purchased the Rising Dead DLC for RDR and the new DLC for The Force Unleashed II. If I have enough Gamerpoints left over, I shall buy Super Meat Boy....for out of interest....and a nagging best friend. 


Thanks for reading, and I hope you all have a merry Christmas, a happy Hanukkah and a delightful Quanza.
Allan

Review: Metal Of Honour

Out of the many past games in this area, this has possibly got to be the greatest in the entire series. For a game I did no research, no in-look and a spontaneous buy, I am glad to add this to my collection. Metal Of Honour.

As I started on the Campaign, I was slightly confused with the HUD but it took me little time to finally figure it out. As well as the simple  logic. Headshots can kill. More than four in the body and you are done for.

This added dramatically to the realism of the game, suiting its predecessors and while my own lack of realising this early in the game caught a few swears muttered under my breath, I was instantly in the world of Metal of Honour.

To me, as a gamer, the three things I find most important in a game is the storyline, the voice acting and the music score. I first noticed how improved the storyline was. A lot of the Gaming Industry are interested with games that involve the battles that take place overseas today, and so Metal of Honour brought this greatly with the current battle of the Democratic powers and The Taliban. The voice acting, while great in some parts, were a small disappointment, as I don't believe a person who is mere centimeters away from an enemy would talk as if he was trying to talk to a person across a small room. The musical score, while rare, was beautifully done and was a delightful addition to both the more serious moods and the firefight for, literally, your life. 

This is the beauty of the game. The realism is fantastic and its very hard to resist its beautiful charms.

Metal of Honour, while some disregard it lesser than Black Ops or call it a copy, the gameplay itself is something rarely seen in the Gaming Industry today, its Multiplayer fairly unique and a game I suggest to anyone who likes the Campaign that takes them into a world unlike our own.

Out of 10, I gave Metal Of Honour an 8.5/10 

Review: Gaming List for 2011.

Hey there you!

Well, two games have been recently announced for release in 2011 and I could not be more excited for them. Of course, to begin, Gears of War 3. This game is the ending for the fantastic series. I love this game and the gameplay that you can immediately dive right into as you place it into the 360 drive.

I was slightly frustrated as the developers pushed the release date from April 8th to November 14th for "polishing" (or the more logical reason that the other two games were released in November) but I still cannot wait.

A game that was only announced for 2011 yesterday, is Prototype 2. In the game, the infection is still contained in New York and follows a former Sergeant in the military, who hated Alex Mercer (Your previous Protagonist, now enemy) who is your cause for the death, in Shakespearean terms, your wife and babe. 

The gameplay looks fantastic, the AI upgraded and the graphics improved, the blood and gore of killing everything in your path so much more detailed and looks so much more real. Lesser minds may have nightmares about this. (For example, when I was a child, I was terrified of GoldenEye 64, it freaked me out. These days, it still slightly bugs me)

This game looks like a brilliant addition to any collection.

Finally, the last announcement of the day being a game that I will think will be a instant classic and a game that will push the envelope even further. Mass Effect 3!

The game graphics look....absolutely real. While watching the trailer and the short introduction of the gameplay....I was certain it was real. Until I saw the enemies Shepard fought and the Reapers causing havok, I knew then it was all animated.

More on this, and the others as time progresses.

Of course, I look forward to these games and more, such as Bioshock Infinate but wer still just have to wait for time to take its place.

And so begins the waiting game....... 

Review: Saints Row 2

Hey guys and girls.

Finally, a game that shows the weird, wacky and crazy side of satisfying the bloodlust that inflicts all gamers. Saints Row 2 is just what the people asked for, and this game delivers exactly what it promised.

Firstly, this game was a complete overhaul of the previous title. Graphics were highly intensified. Gameplay itself was also made even more heightened with a large amount of weaponry, vehicles and even more voice work on civilians than I have ever seen on any game  before.

Giving the character (SPOILER!) a voice after his/her near death was a wise move. Choosing between three voices, you can choose between a British, normal or latino accent. (By normal, it reverts through different races, mostly stereotypical African American and White)
The customisation of the character itself was also extended to so much of a high point that I have never seen before in a game where a character's customisation could be extended to make it in near infinite ways. Everything from large noses and feet to the size of your waist and hairline!
The gameplay itself was brilliant, some points being excellent, others weird and funny and some that just brings tears to your eyes (SPOILER!) for example, depending on your choice of gang to focus on, in one of the ending scenes, your character is split between the decision to save your Lieutenant or end his pain and kill him.

There are only a few faults that I have found with the game. The multiplayer, while fun, can be quite annoying...and very similar to Just Cause. This was a great try at a Multiplayer, and was great to run around with a friend killing anything that moves. but try to play with anyone who lives overseas and the game and freezes the Xbox itself. 


This game is a definite buy for a person who doesn't mind running around with a pimp cane, hitting them over the head or opening the top and unloading a buckshot onto a crowd. Some of the cheats (Yeah, I used them once, just to muck around with a buddy) are actually quite fun, especially Drunk Civilians, is a great way to add a sequel to a great game. I look forward to Saints Row 3.


Out of 10, I gave Saints Row 2 an 7/10

Saints Row 2 Review: Complications

Hey folks.

Due to family issues and problems with my own timing, my review of Saints Row 2 will be one day late with posting my review. I apologise to people who read these reviews. 

Sorry, once again.

Keep well. 

Allan

Review: [Prototype]

Hey there folks.

This is posted a little late, sorry for that, but one of my most enjoyable games cannot wait until morning light (Its currently 1am, despite what blogspot says) [Prototype] is a game of both satisfying bloodlust and compelling gameplay, to which was a very decent transition of comic to video game.

Making a start, the first thing I noticed was the exceptional acting skills of Alex Mercer, our protagonist who, waking up on an operating table, believed to be dead, is revived by an unknown force as the biopsy was about to begin. Confused and unsure, he finds himself fleeing through the streets of Manhattan, able to morph his body to weapons of unbelievable quality. I was slightly dissapointed with the lack of dialogue and short cut scenes, but these made the game ever more seductive. While the game came to great graphics and a world that was the real New York (The game designers taking over 10'000 photo's of the city to produce this game) I discovered, while picking up a car to fling at an enemy, that the people inside the cars are blockish and not particularly well done, as much as I liked. I am no game designer, but sometimes these small details can make or break a game.

Fortunately, it made the game. The rich gameplay was a welcome change to other games competing at the time. Alex Mercer (Played perfectly by Barry Pepper) was an excellent protagonist and made the game ever more believable. The ending was just....utterly perfect and I am extremely glad for DC Comics to have thought of this.
But honestly, why does everything always happen in New York? Spiderman, Alex Mercer, Superman (For a brief moment), Flash, the list goes on.
Why not some Australian super hero's!?

Anyhoo, one of the things I found a slight annoyance was a few of the Campaign missions. Without a particular power, you could not advance to that level. You had a choice of doing a challenge, or destroying a Military Base/Infection Base.

Overall, this game was a great way to kill thousands, upon hundreds of thousands of Infectionous monsters while thrashing around to a Disturbed album (Seriously, try it with one of their songs playing) or become one of the people and make your way through the city, slowly, and silently killing the enemies that you harbor.
A brilliant game and I hope for a sequel.

Out of 10, I gave [Prototype] an 8/10

Review: Grand Theft Auto IV

Hey guys.

100 views on my blog in just a month, thanks for viewing. Its really appreciated.

As my current decision to view older games as  my list grows short, I decided to review an old favourite of mine, the last in the Grand Theft Auto series.

As a huge fan of the last two games before this, I was highly interested to play the final game in the series, hoping that Rockstar may have another hidden up its sleeve (To which, they have been currently hinting to for the past few months.)

With the mysterious Niko Bellic making his way to America, I was already impressed with the amount of acting and originally that Rockstar is highly known to bring, especially when a woman who barely missed with your car screams "This is a sign! I'm gonna go back to Alaska!" or "How 'bout it baby? You, me and a jar of peanut butter?"

The graphic level for a free roam world was high and very beautiful, especially the water and sun/moon graphics. 

The weaponry was ranged as it was in the past, and was only slightly larger than San Andreas. But this did not make it any less more fun for a classic pistol dual with the Russian Mafia (This making me really wish I had Mafia 1 or 2....)

However I saw only a few faults with the game. While I loved the Campaign, the Multiplayer was a large letdown. Due to the large landscape, if I did not play with anyone in my local area, it was tended to have large lag and usually end up with me being lagged out of the game. Unfortunate, but a pattern that tends to repeat.

The Campaign was a fantastic addiction to Liberty City and seeing its "Heart" was a extreme nice touch. While some glitches to the game have been removed with the new DLC's, I have been unable to purchase them as of yet, hoping to do so in the near future.

Out of 10, I gave Grand Theft Auto IV a 7/10

Review: Assassin's Creed Brotherhood

Hey folks.

Now for a review that I have been waiting a long time to play. We return to the 16th Century as Ezio Auditore Da Firenze in the epic series, Assassin's Creed Brotherhood.

The very first thing I noticed was the complete overhaul of graphics. Assassin's Creed 2 had brilliant graphics but Brotherhood almost seemed real as I started once again in the Animus. 

Once again, I loved the voice acting and a return to Kristen Bell making snappy comebacks and flirting with Desmond. Even though they are not really together, the actors obviously have some kind of relationship to be able to act with some emotion.

I also want to mention the musical score. For what my musical ear can tell, for Brotherhood Ubisoft have taken both the musical scores from AC 1 and 2, including a few new scores and taken some of the older versions and making a new version (For example, from Assassin's Creed, they have taken the score for Acre and made it just for an acoustic guitar and violin)

To be perfectly honest, there were so little small annoyances that I can't even think of how to voice them. For one, while the horse has been upgraded to be able to ride it within city limits (thus making travel much more simple) unfortunately they have taken out the Gallop feature except for specific missions. This was slightly annoying, but Ubisoft made up for this for the Jump feature (enabling the AI to jump via horse back onto ledges being unreachable.) as well as making the AI able to kill a soldier on horse back either from ground, air or from another horse.

One of the other small annoyances was the Leonardo "Store". I was a little disappointed with the lack of Leonardo in the game, yet I was slightly annoyed with the purchasable items, in particular the "Climbing Leap" glove. Seeing as this feature was learnt by Ezio from Rosa, I find it a little hard for this to be a purchase. However, I was satisfied with the other purchases, especially the parachute feature.

The game is brilliantly designed from head to foot. I particularly love the Crossbow (A weapon originally featured in Assassin's Creed but taken out for unknown reasons), making it much more satisfying to wait for a guard to move from his patrol, climbing up and waiting for him to turn to shoot him in the throat and watch the horror in his eyes as the blood pours. I don't know if this makes me sadistic or not, but I like it.

Out of 10, I gave Assassin's Creed Brotherhood a 10/10!

A first that will be a very select group

PS: To my knowledge, Gears of War 3 has been pushed back to "polish" the game. This has ticked me off slightly but I still cannot wait!