The Lair of the Monkey

It’s been a while since I’ve written one of these – not least because so much has been going on, much of which unfortunately hasn’t been around playing games.  First of all, I can safely say that I HAVEN’T been playing Gears of War 2.  I don’t know why, but it simply hasn’t grabbed me.  Maybe I played through the original too many times or something.

I have been playing a lot of Fallout 3 however.  As is the usual with these free-roaming, pick up quests as you go games is that I found myself at first at a loss of what to do.  I wandered too much.  As such, I got quickly bored and put the game down.  Then I picked it up again and got involved in another quest.  And then put it down again.  This is my pattern with such games.  It’s not a fault with the game; it’s probably all in my approach.

Tragically, I did find that Fallout 3 was buggy on my machine, with occasional glitches, and even more occasional crashes which can lead to tears at bedtime.  Nonetheless, neither of these problems had any real effect on how truly brilliant I think the game is.  The whole world and all of the details therein are crafted with such a wonderful level of detail that you’ll not want to leave.

Whilst fantasy games are more my thing (and yes, I have role-played and I do drink real ale) there’s something so appealing to the kitsch, post-apocalyptic 1950’s universe of Fallout 3 that you simply have to play it, whether on PC, Xbox 360 or PS3.

In complete contrast to the aforementioned action role player, I’ve dug out Fight Night Round 3 (Xbox 360).  I’m not sure why, but it’s a very physical game, not just in game.  I’ve found that you build up an amazing amount of sweat on the controller, as well as sometimes getting achy hands.  I finally put it down when my boxer (and my thumbs) looked oddly swollen.  I will get that title belt even if it means RSI…

There’s no doubt that little Flash games are brilliant.  You can have a quick bash of them during your lunch break, or you can use them to unwind when you get home, safe in the knowledge that they won’t overly tax you.  Robo-Evolution is a little gem of the genre, where you have to collect various powerups to create the ultimate robot.  Bear in mind there are only a couple of levels, but your robot can start out life as any of these items:

• Egg
• Flower
• Pear
• Lips
• Deep-fried prawn

So, all very strange, mysterious and very Japanese.  I love it.  Go play Robo-Evolution now!

Well, as my Xbox 360 has bitten the dust I’ve gone back to retro.  This means that on the PC I’ve been playing:

• Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield Gold Edition
• Rome: Total War
• Neverwinter Nights

Even better, the GameCube has seen some action.  Arguably one of the most under-rated consoles of all time (second only probably to the Dreamcast), the GameCube is a great machine.  Nintendo really didn’t market it very well, which means that the GC never really got to show people what it could do.  Yet the following games were all great:

• Metroid Prime
• Donkey Konga
• Super Paper Mario
• Animal Crossing
• Super Smash Bros
• Soul Calibur 2

So there we have it, I’m playing some retro PC games and some GameCube games.  I’d be playing stuff like Crysis (my laptop handled it reasonably well) but I traded it in after it started crashing.  Quite a lot.  I was going to wait for the patch but meeeeeeeeh.  It was a bit over-rated wasn’t it?  Unlike the GameCube…

You may have (correctly) noted that unfortunately there’s not been a lot of updates recently.  Don’t worry, I haven’t died or given up gaming.  I’ve just been rather busy with work, other work and finally actually getting time to play some games.

First up has been Forza Motorsport 2 (Xbox 360).  I still haven’t managed to bloody get to level 50, which means my playing continues.  I will say that it looks very good in HD though and I’m having a blast just lapping the Nurburgring over and over.

G.R.A.W. (Xbox 360) has made a welcome appearance after a certain mate of mine persuaded me to try the split screen two player.  We actually managed to complete the first mission for a change and so it’s back on the agenda.

Ninja Gaiden 2 (Xbox 360) demo and full game are well worth a play.  It’s not as heard as they say in the magazines, if you are able to hold down the the left trigger then you should do reasonably well.  Combat is a series of stops and starts and if you can get the hang of that along with positioning yourself well you shouldn’t have any trouble completing this 15-20 hour gem.

I’m hoping to really crack on with Ninja Gaiden 2 later this week and I have a full week off coming up from work so I might just buy Grand Theft Auto 4.  Then again, there’s still Neverwinter Nights 2 on the PC to get around to playing.  Oh, the choices!  Lastly, there’s a handheld to buy for the ‘real’ holidays.  A Nintendo DS or the PSP?  They’ve both really come into their own in the last few months so that choice is going to be very difficult indeed.  I’ll catch you in a few days.  In the meantime, remember, hold left trigger.  Release on a counter, double-tap X then press Y for an ‘Obliteration technique’.  If that doesn’t help you win, you’re a really rubbish gamer…

Well, this year has been a slow one for gaming so far, at least for me.  Due to various commitments and something coming up it has been less than active for gaming.  However, I have done the following:

• Completed Crysis on the PC
• Got a good (but not great) time on the Nurburgring with a Nissan 350Z in Forza Motorsport 2 on Xbox 360
• Played a bit more of Assassin’s Creed, but not enough

The biggest thing in gaming though has been my addiction to Mass Effect.  It’s a bloomin’ brilliant game.  I don’t normally like sci-fi things, but this is well written, structured and even the characters work well together.  The exploration aspect (being able to travel to pretty much any of the planets and then explore them) works really well too.  In fact, I’d say that it was a pretty close contender for game of last year.  If you haven’t had a chance to play it yet, I can heartily recommend it.

I’ve played a few things this week including:

• Crysis (PC)
• Assassin’s Creed (Xbox 360)
• Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
• Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

Amazingly, all of these games are very very good indeed.  However, Crysis in particular has been a stand-out just because of the way in which it puts you at the centre of the game.  Review to follow soon.  I’ve reviewed Assassin’s Creed - a brilliant game.  Super Mario Galaxy and Metroid Prime 3 will aslo be getting reviewed soon.

Forza 2 has been a sbit special as I’ve managed to have a couple of games on Live that have been standouts.  You know who you are out there guys and I’ll take first place next time, not third!  Generally, looking at the games out there now, this November has (and is going to continue to be, what with Mass Effect etc) a truly amazing month for games.

As you can see from the graphic, I’ve been playing mostly Rainbow Six: Las Vegas.  I got the game a couple of weeks ago and I’ve played it over LAN, single player and a quick go on multiplayer.  It’s a pretty good game I must say, I like how things tie together quite neatly and the action is smooth.  Still, there are a few tactics that you can’t use, but I suppose that is down to the AI.

I got the demo of Stranglehold on Xbox L!ve and that was quite entertaining.  However, I can’t see that this a game I’d ever pay full price for.  It’s fun but man, that would sure get repetitive after a while.  I’m hoping to get the Bioshock demo quite soon so I’ll give you the lowdown on that when it’s finally finished downloading.

Not a lot.  i’ve been incredibly busy, mostly working and then working out, running and weight lifting in a combination to get EXTREMELY FIT.  In light of that, I’ve not had a huge chance to play.  Over the weekend though I did buy Rainbow Six: Las Vegas.  It’s actually a lot harder than I thought it would be, but great fun over LAN.

To be honest, I can’t wait for the weekend.  I’ve got a lot going on this week, plenty of which is exciting, but I’m also looking forward to being able to really have a good go at the game and find out all of the different mechanics of it.  It seems to be a lot of fun, though I did have to take off the motion blur.  It just seems weird.  I don’t know about you but when I move my head there’s something in my brain that doesn’t make my head spin.  Maybe all of the soldiers in the game are suffering inner ear damage?

Anyway, look for a ‘What I Have Been Playing‘ very soon for another update.

After not playing for a couple of days due to a rather busy schedule, I’ve come to the conclusion that I’ve missed playing a few games I already have.  These include such delights as:

• Project Zero
• Ninja Gaiden
• Lumines
• Resident Evil 4 (GC)

Then again, I have been extremely busy.  So what have you been playing recently?  It’s very obvious we’re in the middle of a rather serious gaming drought, as is always the case this time of year.  Naturally there’s been a couple of treats - I mean Resident Evil 4 on the Wii is a bit special, but it’s a rather old game by now.  Not tired, but old nonetheless.  A friend at work asked me what the big games are going to be this year and the best I could come up with was Ninja Gaiden: Sigma, Alan Wake, Bioshock and Assassin’s Creed.  Not a big list but they’re all pretty good.

For gaming sessions that I’ve got coming up there’s a Neverwinter Nights (original PC game) LAN party for me and a mate as well as more Forza 2.  Beyond that I’m looking at a bit of Gears of War, Ghost Recon and Project Gotham 3 - all online.  Frankly, Xbox Live has been even better than I remember.  One thing I do know is that while I’ve been driving about I have had some interesting ideas on various games.  I might put a few on here in a couple of days.

Well, come on now - what can I say beyond more and more Forza 2! Xbox 360 has some good games, but not many of them which hold my attention like this. It has cars, modding and of course fantastic support for Xbox Live. I’ve already sold one car - a fantastic older vehicle with colours in the form of Amstrad no less! If you see it driving about, think of me.

Of course, I’ve reviewed Forza 2 - but it was over at Gadzooki. I’m not really one for giving a score (if you can’t be bothered to read the review…) but I will, for a change. Forza 2 is definitely a 9/10. Whilst it’s good, there’s a few narks I have with it. These include the lack of real in-car view, the always-perfect weather and the removal of the interesting point to point races. On the whole though, it’s fantastic.

N.B. You can find me on Live: blackvv