Blogger Upload Issues

Howdy folks!

So I finally figured out why I can't post any of my videos here on Blogger: With Google+ (Seeing as it forces me to use it these days) it acts like a different account to my actual YT account. While FatmanXVII has over 260 videos, my G+ account has none. And since this account was made with the same email address as my Blogger, the accounts overlap. No matter how hard I try, my videos can't be posted unless it's uploaded.
Issue with that is, uploading is failing each and every time. Whether this is due to the size of the video's length or the HD, the only way to post videos for now is simply post the URL.

SOOOOOOO, I recently began a Game Review in video form! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=di0WhLEzs2U
Go give it a watch if you'd like!

If this issue keeps up, I'll start writing both reviews on here and posting a video form on YT.
Oh Google+...how you like to f**k up something so simple....

Game on folks, take care!

Al

Review: WSOP: Full House Pro

G'day folks!

There is usually nothing to complain about when given free things. Usually it's for a gift or as a present for doing a task well. However, the old sayings stay true: all things worth having aren't meant to be free. This applies directly to World Series Of Poker: Full House Pro.
This is a sequel to the highly praised game Full House Poker, and like it's predecessor, it too is free. My original complaints with Full House Poker were fixed eventually over time; such as the connection issues and graphics problems. This being said, the same issues apply to this game as well. Gameplay is more or less the same as it was, for veterans there is no need to look over the controls. The A button will be your dominant one over time. A nice little feature is the commentary; while playing two commentators will read off who leaves in what position or if positive or negative things happen during gameplay. This also applies to the beginning and end of a players match. There isn't too much to say about the sound effects and the musical score; once again it seems to be more or less the same with tooting trumpets and jazz like music. What Microsoft seems to have focused on is the customisation and graphics themselves. 

While the new areas look clean and clear cut, it's unfortunately the avatars that give away the look of the game. Due to the multitude appearances of a player's avatar, expect the usual white lining around the edges of your character. It simply boils down to the choices of the player and what to change and customise what they'd prefer. Sadly, this too is massively flawed. Originally, Full House Poker allowed players to unlock these choices by simply playing the game and unlocking them with each level. This time around, players can choose to unlock things with either chips or blocks of gold. Yes, you read that right, gold. However, even after unlocking an item (Mostly by doing a specific task or leveling up), you must still pay for them with either chips or gold. The game rewards players who have Full House Poker with free items and accessories for their arena, but yes these too must be paid with by chips or gold. The reason I mention this is that the prices, just like the meme, are too damn high. Most being either in the fifth or six digit figure. True, it is easy to climb to that amount, leveling up is difficult and slow, even in single player. The game counters this with a new feature For simply logging into the game every 12 hours, you'll receive a lump sum and some XP to which these can be use for in game condiments, which increase experience for a set amount of hands. This helps but not enough - With the addition to custom avatar gear specifically for the game itself, it's almost a big tease.

The single player, while good to play, is more of a practice mode than anything else and barely offers anything other than outfits to wear during multiplayer as the character you have won against. Multiplayer, while as fun and simple as before, is just as flawed. Expect a lot of error issues and the words "Due to connectivity issues, voice chat will be suspended until the end of the match." or most of the time, simply disconnecting. Over time, I came to like Full House Poker more and more, even to the point of almost maxing out my level, something I very rarely do. This may not be the case with WSOP: Full House Pro. More chore than fun, I think I may just go back to playing poker with my friends at the pub again. 
Brownie points for being a free game but sometimes free doesn't mean good.

Out of 10, I give WSOP: Full House Pro a 4/10

+Simplistic and enjoyable
+Commentary is a plus
+Massive customisation overhaul
-...Yet sadly flawed unlocking system
-Navigating menus is slow and repetitive
-"You can customise!...only when you have $195'000 worth of chips at level 1."
-Connectivity is damaging and redundant
-Less single player usage and rewards
-Ending game session takes almost a minute due to the commentators
-Avatars look bulky and unrefined

WSOP: Full House Pro is out now for free

Review: Saints Row IV

G'day there guys and gals!

*This review is 100% spoiler free. Feel free to read freely*

For nearly a month, Australians have waited to get their paws on a copy of this game. Some did by eBay, ordering overseas and multitudes of other ways while the Attorney Generals fluffed around with "issues" with the game. But finally, gamers rejoice as Saints Row IV finally makes its way to our consoles. It is no secret that I've been a massive fan since the very first game, especially so since it was my first game ever played on my Xbox 360. The first Deep Silver game in the series, it's obvious to see that no matter the outcome, you'll definitely have a dropped jaw at one point.
Saints Row was all about making a name in the gang community, it's sequel was rebuilding that reputation. Saints Row The Third enhanced on that by making their name worldwide with ever more ridiculousness and then there's Number 4; compared to the last installment, they took everything about the previous title, grabbed several cans of energy drinks and other random items and churned them together in a giant blender. Let the adventure begin!

Saints Row sees players begin on an international assassination of a deadly, and recognisable foe. With this person no longer a threat and the US saved by the protagonist, the Saints become beloved by all and the leader becomes the President. Five years later, right before a press conference, the Zin Empire and their Emperor Zinyak invades Earth and takes all the best and brightest humans prisoner. But I shall reveal no more!
While it's well know that SR4 was a double crossed joke (April Fools joke which later turned out to be a real DLC in production), the production eventually became so big that a sequel came into works, much like many other DLCs in the industry. Because of this, gameplay is very similar to the predecessor; This applies to many of the key components of the game such as sound effects and the obvious likeness to other small time games such as Prototype and Crackdown (For power bases). The menu bar holds all of your needs in game and is simple to use. The Back button will lead you to the multitude of the game's features such as the Map, Powers, Upgrades, Cache and of course, the Options and Cheats menu. In that retrospect, the game is quite familiar to the touch and easy to handle, even with the usage of powers and abilities.
Super powers are definitely a massive plus in the game, adding a definite edge to the game entirely.
Where escaping or weaponry doesn't help, Powers will become your best friend in combat as well as travel. This however is a hindrance to some of the game mechanics. With Super Speed and Super Jump (The very first two powers you get), it definitely makes travelling and exploration fun but makes driving pointless and only as a leisure or task assessed usage. The same goes with your powers; they can be utter devastation to enemies but make most weaponry useless. Alien weapons will quickly become your most used weaponry, doubly so for your specialty weaponry such as the Disinegrator, the Dubstep gun and so on.
The storyline is one of ridiculousness but is quite decent and holds together well. Fans will welcome the craziness and often cheezy punchlines but as the story progresses, it turns into one of revenge, justice and a massive "f**k you" to Zinyak, the added Shakespeare was just the cherry on top for me. Gamers should expect 41% of Storyline gameplay without playing any side missions. The voice acting was, as always, over the top and utterly crazy. Troy Baker makes his return to main role (A first for the SR series), while many others also make an appearance, even the legend Nolan North. This being said, a lot of the older cast from the original game return, whereas some could not. Benjamin King was originally voiced by Michael Clarke Duncan (RIP) but was replaced with Terry Crews. Tonya Winters originally voiced by Mila Kunis, however she too was replaced with Ursula Taherian and so on. Many new and old faces make an appearance but I'll leave that as a surprise for you. Just remember to keep an open mind and enjoy the nostalgia.
Sound effects aren't something you can boast much about as a lot of the weaponry is similar if not tweaked slightly, the only fresher sounds being Powers or alien weaponry. As a man who doesn't like Dubstep, even the Dubstep Gun was fun to use. Speaking of which, the musical score is a nice touch of both modern and classic music, with fans happy that this includes the return of Reggae radio station. Mixtapes also make a return but what makes this even better is a feature returning from the very first Saints Row. Mixtapes and now even radio stations can be played without being in a car. Jumping rooftop to rooftop while playing "Opposite's Attract" will definitely fill in some of your free time. 

With extra customisation, a mass amount of side missions and plenty of things to do, this will equally kill some time on par to most games over 20 hours of gameplay. And while the game is fun, addictive and great to play, it's also saddening to a degree, especially so with the amount of audio, visual and console freezing. Saints Row IV is a game of a lifetime that bars no hold on the insanity, yet it's difficult to think of how Volition will be able to top themselves here or where to go from here. Saints Row has come far from gangas killing each other to a universal killing spree of all things that stand against the Saints. The depth and sincerity of Saints Row is long gone but in this gamer's view, let the madness continue!

Out of 10, I give Saints Row IV a 8/10 

+So much nostaliga...
+Musical score was brilliant
+SUPER POWERS
+Shoutouts to Star Wars/Trek and Mass Effect
+Unlike SR3, tutorial won't be 3/4 of the game
+Effective and cheezy jokes are awesome
-Powers overdone and make weaponry/vehicles useless and pointless
-So many damn glitches for a delayed game
-Two rescue missions, none for the other four? =/
-Many of the new faces from SR3 don't/won't return
-Narration gives away a lot of the main plotlines

Saints Row IV is out now for the standard price of $80

Review: Payday 2

G'day there guys and gals!

There have been plenty of titles under the label "First Person Shooter" and each has few similarities between each other. Some see you fight a nation, others fighting a team or conclave of enemies, the list goes on. However never before have I seen a game where you directly play as the robber, as the thief in the modern world. With the sequel, Payday 2, players will feel the addicted experience once more.

I have never played the original game in the series (Payday: the heist) due to it limited console and PC release, I had no idea what type of game I was diving into, I was only going off gameplay I saw in a Youtube video. What I came to realise was how addictive and fun this game can be.
First off, storyline. This game has got a small amount of storyline but this doesn't effect it that much; you will meet with different people hiring you for specific jobs on different days and specific Paydays, each with tasks to perform from standard jewelry robbery to cocaine, stealing valuable paintings and so much more. While little storyline, the gameplay and multiplayer is pushed beyond a point of brilliance. Simple yet great.
Before each heist, weapons, gadgets and all sorts of options can be chosen (but I'll get on that in a little bit) and then it begins. For example, let's take Nightclub. Players must make their way (either guns blazing or sneaking through it all) to the owner's office, break into his safe and make it out with the cash to the escape van. Players can interact with many things in each map such as picking locks on doors, breaking their way through chicken wire fences and of course, searching through cash registers and various other things for money. Civilians also play a massive role in the game: if they are brought to an alarm, they will try to run and escape like chickens in fright. Players can either tie them down or force them down by demanding them to do so, however they will eventually try again. Police officers and various other enemies can also untie or free them BUT less civilians means more SWAT and FBI enforcement to come bearing down on you. This is what keeps the gameplay dynamic; each mission brings new objectives and different ways to tackle it.
The multiplayer itself (The new feature Crime.Net) is one of the best connecting multiplayers I have ever seen. Crime.Net gives players the option of joining any ongoing or set up match with friends or other gamers. I have truly never seen a multiplayer (even when I was using other equipment with internet accessed) run so fast and efficiently. It's clear to see that Overkill and 505 have worked hard on this new feature.
If you feel like ranking up alone, the Crime.Net offline is the way to go. I will warn you however, even simple missions can be extremely difficult.

Customisation is extremely detailed and fun but can be a little tedious. Weapons can cost a hell of a lot to unlock but the higher rank you go, the more money you can earn. Weapon modification is slightly annoying, even when unlocking different equipment for your weapons, you still need to pay for them. You can have several silencers in stock but still have to pay over $60'000 for each weapon you use it on. Mask customisation is the same and unlocking them seems to be even more rare. Their choice on how to do so is brilliant (as there are so many shoutouts to other popular games and series from Portal to Harry Potter) but higher payouts are a must even when unlocked. Graphics aren't much to shake a stick at, shading only renders when you're a few feet from it and NPC faces tend to repeat. Audio and sound effects are something to marvel over. NPC's cries for help, weapon firing and even drills sound are quite realistic and add good atmosphere, the musical score is also something to admire. There are very few games that have electronic or dubstep in their vocabulary and while I may not be a fan the music is very suiting to the moment, each beat synchronised with fighting off the police, cracking open a safe or even teabagging civilians in the nightclub.

While the game offers nothing more than a multiplayer experience with very little difference solo, Payday 2 is definitely an underrated game. What small issues it has with graphics and flawed customisation, the game can make up hours of fun with friends or the extremely courteous community. Payday 2 is definitely worthy of a purchase.

Out of 10, I give Payday 2 an 8.5/10

+Gobsmackingly good multiplayer
+Creative musical score, from classical to dubstep
+Gameplay is simple but in a refreshing way
+Item unlock is as simple as choosing a card...literally
+Customisation is wide and rich...
-But slightly flawed in unlocking
-Graphics, while refined, are fairly dated

 Payday 2 is out now on the Xbox Games Dashboard for the standard price of $60