Blue Toad Murder Files

Blue Toad Murder files is a downloadable puzzle board game for the PS3. The game is good with a really impressive mixture of puzzles, if a slightly off pricing model

Each episode, of which there are six, contain twelve puzzles. Despite this large number, they feel different from one and another and there is a nice balance between difficulty. None of the puzzles feel cheap and they include word, logic and spatial challenges which means everyone will be good at something.

In fact all the game play works really well. Four players can play with one controller. It takes the board game ethos of letting you choose how competitive you want to play. If you have younger players you may want to work together so they can do the more challenging puzzles, but the game includes plenty of scoring you so you can play against each other.

The great unmasking is also good. You have to be paying attention for the entire episode to be able to correctly identify who is the criminal. The developers have got the balance just right: you don't have to make any unimaginable leaps of genius, but equally it isn't blatantly obvious who it is; in all of the first three episodes at least one of us got it wrong each time.

The exaggerated town and over-the-top story are mirrored in the voice acting and art style. The narrators voice, whilst initially funny, starts to grate as he does a lot of talking. The characters are amusing with a very British sense of humour (there is even a Basil Fawlty-esque character) that give the game plenty of personality.

My main criticism with the game is how it is priced. There are (going to be) six episodes. Each episode has a self contained mystery to solve, but there is an over-arching conspiracy-theory of a plot to link the six. The idea is you can buy just one episode or the entire series. In principal this is a nice idea, letting you see what it is like before shelling out for the full thing. However, the pricing model simply does not reflect this idea.

[This is updated from the original review, see this post for details] The pricing is complicated: episodes one and two together are 9.99, the third one is currently free and the final three will be bundled for £9.99 unless you buy them all for 19.98. Confused, I was (hence the error). Let me do the maths for you: it is no cheaper to buy all of the bundles than to buy it in one hit. So just do that, which will let you try it out first. It is a really baffling price model, which considering the company is trying something new with the episodic content format is a shame.

They are enjoyable and if you are looking for a nice family game, £10 is great for three individual episodes. Though they have very little re-playability, they are fun enough to justify the price. I look forward to playing the final three, which are scheduled for the 8th of April. Because of the price scheme, you should get the first three soon (as the third one is only free for a limited time). I will review the other three when they are released.

This review has been updated to include factual corrections relating to the (quite) complicated price scheme. For full details of the changes, please view my correction post. Veteran Gamer believes in journalistic integrity and apologizes for this.

2008 Analysis

Well sorry for not posting in ages, been busy with Christmas and other stuff.

2008 has ended, and despite a fantastic 2007, it was good game wise. Normally, (normal in that I think I did it last year) I would comment on Gamespot's Game of the Year award. However, this year, they were shockingly poor. Neither Fable 2 or Gears of War 2 made the Best of Xbox 360, let alone Game of the Year. This wouldn't be bad, if there were 10 clearly amazing games, but NHL? It wasn't just these shortlists that were off. For example, Fable 2 was not even listed in the funniest game. Sure, I maybe a bit of a Fable fanboy, but everyone found it funny. But it was in best sequel. What, that makes no sense either. Best Sequel should go to a game which had either a really poor preuel, or took everything good from the first one and crafted it in to something new. Fable 2, while good, did some things less well than Fable 1.

Gears wasn't on best Technical graphics, nor Fable on artistic, Super Smash Bros didn't win best Wii game. All in all, I was highly disappointed in the whole thing. This was worsened by the fact that the comments section wasn't working, I couldn't vote and the whole thing was taking forever to load.

Instead, as I don't play enough game to do my own set of awards, I am going to briefly discuss some of the big, controversial and important releases of the year.

Spore

The brain child of Will Wright was highly hyped, but the press received it with a collective shrug. For me it had two key floors. Firstly, the Space age was hugely frustrating and none of the modes slotted together. I have already published a huge rant about the space stage in my review, but the other comment I have only mentioned in passing. Excluding the space stage, each mode was weak, simple and could be found on the internet. The bit that was meant to be different was that you played them all. But there was no continuity, no consequences. Other than choosing whether to play the Simon Says peace game or a simple power of numbers RTS game, your decisions had little impact.

The game was not without redeeming features (not least the hugely impressive editors), and perhaps minus the hype it would have been good. However, I guess I was expecting something a little more thought out from Will Wright.

Read all my coverage of Spore...

Super Smash Bros Brawl

I will get round to reviewing this game at some point. On the one hand, it is that same addictive, easy to pick up, impossible to master game play that is impossible to resist. But, on the other hand, the game feels constantly lazy. There is no IR support for the menus (instead you use a cursor controlled by the joy-stick!!), the online is not only lacking in functionality, but is also constantly laggy (and consequently, no one plays it). In true Nintendo style, there has been no apology, no explanation and no resolution. I could go on for hours about the features missing from the online, but it really doesn't matter, if it had just worked, it would be good.

Ok, so they failed to take advantage of the Wii, they failed to make a decent online, but at least the standard modes are good. Well, yes. But the characters aren't balanced. So, what exactly did they do in the years they had to develop it. A great game, an even greater disappointment.

Read all my Brawl coverage

EndWar

You may be surprised to see this title, I haven't bought it, don't worry. However, this is the only strategy game to come up with a WORKING control scheme for an RTS on console. While everyone's breath is held for Halo Wars, EndWar did what I have been trying to said needs to be done. And no, I am not talking about voice commands (no pun intended)

This game did three things which made it work on the console. Firstly, it simplified everything. There is only one resource and you don't have to manage its collection (it builds up), there are only 7 or 8 different units fitting a simple Rock, Paper, Scissors thing.

Second, it has come up with a logical way of controlling the units (even without voice, issuing commands is as easy as on a PC) and thirdly, it made the whole experience much bigger. Now before you go accusing me of saying that console games need to be dumbed down, it isn't because of the market. It is simply you sit much further from the screen. On a PC, I can read size 10 fonts, size 20 on a console can be tricky. By making the experience big and visceral, it was easy to play and above all fun.

Yes the voice commands do help, but it was not the only noteworthy feature in the game.

Read my first impressions...

Fable 2

I will be writing about this game for years to come. What can I say? I game with so many flaws, I'm sorry, but it did. Flaws that Peter Molyenux himself admits in an interview (which I have lost the link to, some of it was on Xbox Live at one point as well) But through all this, the game delivered a stunning experience. It is the first game to make me feel something other than, "Woo, I did it". Sure, the co-op was terrible, the game was easy and the world no where near as big as Oblivion. But it is bigger than you think, I bet half of you never went to the cave in Rookridge where you had to swim round the river. I am constantly finding new areas. I will be writing more about this game and what I want from the DLC (which I will sell all my beliefs and probably end up getting!)

Gear of War 2

Horde is an incredible stroke of genius with near endless re-playability (I would like to see anyone do wave 50 on insane, and then anyone do that ON THEIR OWN) The campaigns story is not very satisfactory. At the start, the Locust were nearly defeated and then they weren't, and judging that there is a Gears 3 planned, the end is the same. At the start, Dom had lost his wife, everyone thought she was dead, now she's dead. At the start, humanity was on its last legs, at the end, well you get the idea. The campaign was fun none the less, and co-op is a blast.

The online started off terrible. It could take an hour to find one game. It does appear to be fixed now, and is almost as fast as Halo. It still has annoying timers before you can't quit, you can't party up and the ranking system isn't very rewarding (there are only 5 ranks, so you hardly ever go up, except after you win your first game) However, it is as intense as ever and the new game types work really well. All the weapons are balanced and the game manages to stride the fine line of non-frustrating-but-tense very well.

Read my first impressions...

Fallout 3

I haven't got this game (but I will be getting it soon) but I have heard quite a bit about it. Apparently the start is really bad, but fast forward three hours and suddenly everyone is raving about it. It sounds like Bethesda as done something fantastic with this. They took what was good with Oblivon (large expansive map with near-infinite things to do) but put some character in to it. I am really looking forward to find the parts for the rail gun which pins people to walls, all of the toys and explore the wasteland. I will be writting about this more on Tuesday next week (that's when I am getting it, after my exams)

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriot

Once again, not played on this, but DAMN I wan't too. Sure it sounds stuck up, excessive and redicuolous. But I think that if you have made what some people call one of the greatest series of all time, you are entitled to do that. The mix of genres sounds impressive, but a game where enough love to create 1 and a half hour cut scenes has gone in, I want a part of. Unfortunatley, this is not quite enough to justify selling my house for a PS3. Not that that is true anymore, they are actually reasonably priced - if it had the range of games that the 360 does.

Little Big Planet

But it is getting close (to me getting a PS3). Although this game got kind of average reviews (considering hype) from the press, I really want to play this. Maybe it is my love of making things, particuarly games, or maybe because it is a platformer with a physics engine, I don't know, but there is something about this game which I find irrestible. The MGS (Metal Gear Solid) LBP (Little Big Planet) pack nicely consolidates all that is good about the PS3

Home

Home ceartainly shouldn't be included in this package from what I have heard. Immature pre-pubecent teens seem to make up the numbers, crowding ANY female arvatar and performing acts which I shan't go in to here (youtube Home if you are interested, I am sure there are quite a few videos) Other than that, just sounds a bit boring and depressing. Probably shouldn't have invested quite so much time in this one Sony...

Call of Duty: World at War

Well, I played the beta, enjoyed it and then remembered why I never got Call of Duty 4; I find it too frustrating. Where Gears gets the balance right (almost), this game goes way in to the frustrating side. It doesn't matter how good you are, sometimes, someone will just randomly creep up behind you and head shot you. The fact that a CoD is now coming out every year probably isn't a good thing for the series - I doubt even Infinity Ward can create a compelling campaign every two years that is any longer than 5 hours. On the plus side, it is the first time (that I can recall) where a video game achives that level continued demand, equalling sports games which are conveniently based on an ever changing list of players. I'll hold of judement to, err, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare 2? Well, there never was a CoD 5...

Stay tuned for what I am looking forward to in 2009.

2007 Christmas Guide

Christmas is fast looming, so here is my guide on what you games you should get for your relative/friend. I will be giving my top 3 recommendations for each console for the differnt age groups. First, if you are choosing a console, read the bit below. If you have already chosen/bought a console, scroll down for the games and make sure you don't have to go to Game the next day.
Which console?

Wii
I own a Wii, however, I am not going to straight out recommend it to everyone. If your relative friend, who hence forth will be known as the receiver, is under 12, then without a doubt, this is a safe choice. If it is going to be a family console, once again, full recommendations, if the receiver missed gaming when they were a kid, Wii is the answer. However, if the receiver is a "core" gamer, such as myself, you should think a little first. Providing they enjoy a bit of thinking as well as just action, then I will still recommend this console. If, however, they prefer instant and simple run'n'gun gameplay, the Wii's choice of games becomes a little restricted, with my favourite games on the Wii all requiring at least some pause. If you are sure that this won't be a problem, I once again, recommend the Wii.

Xbox 360
This is a rock steady console, I am hoping to pick one up after Christmas. The range of games covers all ages and their is no age group which I specifically wouldn't recommend it to. The younger age group's choice of games is a little limited, with many of the big blockbuster titles carrying heavy age ratings, however, there are games such as Viva Pinta and if they are in to driving games, a plethora of them exist. One thing I should point out is beware of the hidden charges. One of the main reasons for getting a 360 is the online, Xbox Live. However, this comes with a subscription charge of £40 a year, plus you will need to connect your 360 to the internet, which can also be quite expensive. If you want to use a wireless internet connection, you will be required to pay £60 to buy a wireless adaptor. The 360 comes with many of these charges to get everything out of it, but these can be added as and when needed.

PS3
I do not recommend the PS3 at this time. It has limited library of games and a low install base (meaning fewer games to come) Also, for younger audiences, there is virtually nothing. However, if you own a full 1080i HD TV, the PS3 does come with a built in Blu-ray player and is currently much cheaper than all other Blu-ray players. Unlike the 360, you pay for everything up front with the PS3, and I am not going to lie to you, if you buy a PS3, it will still be technologically impressive in 5 years time. If nothing else, it is the best media centre on the market. Despite this, if you are looking for a games console, look else where, as it does come down to the games, which there are next to none on the PS3.

Wii
Under 9s

• Super Mario Galaxy - Super Mario Galaxy (3+, £35, not available from Amazon, but in Game stores) received fantastic reviews from just about everywhere. The games difficulty is said to rise gradually, meaning it will be accessible to younger audiences and still a challenge for the elder. Also, the game features a drop in/out co-op allowing for you, if you have 5 minutes spare from the turkey, drop in, help a little, and then go back to the dinner.
  

• Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz - SMB:BB(7+, £25, not available from Amazon, but in Game stores) is a fun game that uses the Wiimote fantastically. The single player will entertain most, providing they have a little patience, and the multiplayer contains a wide variety of games. Read my review

• Second Wii Remote - 2nd Wii Remote(3+, £32, not available from Amazon, but in game stores) will allow you to play games in Multiplayer. For games such as Super Monkey Ball, this is almost compulsory and I highly recommend this product to anyone, as multiplayer really does enhance enjoyment. Also, I advise you to get a Nunchuck(3+, £15, not available from Amazon, but in Game store) as it is required for some multiplayer games

9-14

• Super Mario Galaxy - Super Mario Galaxy (3+, £35, not available from Amazon, but in Game stores) received fantastic reviews from just about everywhere. The games difficulty is said to rise gradually, meaning it will be accessible to younger audiences and still a challenge for the elder. Also, the game features a drop in/out co-op allowing for you, if you have 5 minutes spare from the turkey, drop in, help a little, and then go back to the dinner.

• Metroid Prime 3: Corruption - The epic conclusion(12+, £32.98, available at Amazon) to the Metroid Prime series. I loved this game. The controls are great, use the Wiimote, but doesn't over use it. The story is great, there is, unfortunately, next to no replayability as there s no multiplayer. Despite this, I recommend this to all gamers (not non gamers, as the game can be a little complicated) You can read my first impressions.

• Legend of Zelda: Twighlight Princess - This launch game (12+, £32.48, if bought from Amazon it will not be dispatched for Christmas)still stands strong. While the game might not utilise the Wii remote to its full potential, the puzzles are brilliantly designed and the plot is gripping. Some people will find this game quite tricky and if the reviver doesn't like puzzle solving, steer clear. Read my review

15+

• Metroid Prime 3: Corruption - The epic conclusion(12+, £32.98, available at Amazon) to the Metroid Prime series. I loved this game. The controls are great, use the Wiimote, but doesn't over use it. The story is great, there is, unfortunately, next to no replayability as there s no multiplayer. Despite this, I recommend this to all gamers (not non gamers, as the game can be a little complicated) You can read my first impressions.

• Resident Evil 4 - Resident Evil 4(15, £25, available at Amazon, but will not be delivered by Christmas) has quite a confusing control scheme, but once you get past that you have a thrilling and tense story that will take most people quite a long time to get through. Once you have done that, there is even more. Arguably the best graphics on the Wii to boot.

• Super Mario Galaxy - Super Mario Galaxy (3+, £35, not available from Amazon, but in Game stores) received fantastic reviews from just about everywhere. The games difficulty is said to rise gradually, meaning it will be accessible to younger audiences and still a challenge for the elder. Also, the game features a drop in/out co-op allowing for you, if you have 5 minutes spare from the turkey, drop in, help a little, and then go back to the dinner.

Xbox 360

Under 9

• Viva Pinata - I am not entirely sure what this game (3+, £39.98, available from Amazon) is about. All I know is it is kid friendly, fun and was received very well by the press. The limited time I did have with it, it seemed to be about nurturing a garden and filling it with fun creatures.

• Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga - This Lego game (3+, 29.99, available from Amazon but will not be dispatched by Christmas) is great fun. While I haven't personally been on this game, I have played on the previous instalment and it has kept my 8 year old brother for over 85 hours and this game includes that game and another 1, so this will occupy them for quite a long time...

• PGR 4 - This is a fun, arcadeish racing game(3+, £37,.98, available from Amazon) is fantastic racing game. It even features motorbikes! However, some less able reciverers may find this game too trick (my 8 year old brother handles it fine)

9-15

• Forza Motor Sport - This ultra-realistic racer (3+, £17.98, available from Amazon, but will not be dispatched by Christmas) is not for the feint of heart. This game is great if you are prepared to put the dedication in. The driving is hard to master and you are going to have to spend some time customising your car to get the best possible ride for the lowest cost. However, if Forza 1 is anything to go by, it is well worth it.
  

• Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock - This game (12+, 64.98, available from Amazon, but will not be dispatched by Christmas) is expensive, that is largely due to the fact it comes with a wireless guitar to play the game. I played on this game for a bit and I loved it. It is amazing fun and if you are prepared to, I would recommend getting two guitars, as the MP is said to be very good.

• PGR 4 - This is a fun, arcadeish racing game(3+, £37,.98, available from Amazon) is fantastic racing game. It even features motorbikes! However, some less able reciverers may find this game too trick (my 8 year old brother handles it fine)

15+

• Halo 3 - This is the blockbuster movie of games (15+, £37.96, available from Amazon) is amazing. I was never a huge fan of Halo 2, so take my word, this game is great. I would only have some slight reservations if you do not intend to get live as that is where the mean of the game lies. Read my first impressions here

• Elder Scrolls: Oblivion - This is possibly my favourite game (15+, £40, not available from Amazon) Now I could go in to great lengths about why I think this game is amazing, but this customer review on Amazon sums it up:

"Anyways, Once you've past the first mission, you exit through this tunnel and all you see in front of you is a open world. You can go anywhere,do anything, go north, south, east or west, over rocks, swim in the waters, fight people camping out, nick their stuff, hunt for deer, lions, bears, fish, go to towns, talk to the people, get missions, do or do not do the missions, follow the main quest, don't follow it, do side quests, join guilds, large guilds, secret guilds or smaller clans, fight in the arena, become a champion, or don't, hunt out monsters, hunt out vampires, become a vampire, collect different herbs for recipies, make potions, sell potions, find weapons, use weapons, sell weapons, enchant/enchance weapons, cast spells on yourself, cast spells on others, fight with fists, swords, bows or magic.... IT'S ENDLESS!"

Read my quick review of Oblivion here

• Gears of War - This game (18+, £37.98, available from Amazon) This game is great, it won GotY (Game of the Year) last year, which speaks a great volume considering that is the same year as Oblivion. The single player is fun, the co-op is fun, the multiplayer is intense. There isn't much wrong with this game, unless you don't like the site of blood. Read my review.
  

PS3
Unfortunately, there insufficient games for me to break down in the 3 categories, so I will just do my top 5 PS3 games with ratings and leave it up to you to decide which suits your reciver, *sorry*

• Resistance: Fall of Man - This looks to be a fantastic shooter (15+, £29.99, available from Amazon) I have heard nothing but praise for it. The single player is meant to be great, as is the multiplayer and the game's visuals look amazing to boot. PS3 exclusive and a PS3 must have

• Elder Scrolls: Oblivion - This is possibly my favourite game (15+, £40, not available from Amazon) Now I could go in to great lengths about why I think this game is amazing, but this customer review on Amazon sums it up:

"Anyways, Once you've past the first mission, you exit through this tunnel and all you see in front of you is a open world. You can go anywhere,do anything, go north, south, east or west, over rocks, swim in the waters, fight people camping out, nick their stuff, hunt for deer, lions, bears, fish, go to towns, talk to the people, get missions, do or do not do the missions, follow the main quest, don't follow it, do side quests, join guilds, large guilds, secret guilds or smaller clans, fight in the arena, become a champion, or don't, hunt out monsters, hunt out vampires, become a vampire, collect different herbs for recipies, make potions, sell potions, find weapons, use weapons, sell weapons, enchant/enchance weapons, cast spells on yourself, cast spells on others, fight with fists, swords, bows or magic.... IT'S ENDLESS!"

Read my quick review of Oblivion here

• Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction - Although this game (7+, £2.98, available from Amazon) hasn't been as well received as previous PS2 entries, it still stands to be a great game and might have had the potential to move consoles if the consoles price was just a little lower and the range of games a little higher

• Call of Duty 4: Modern - This game (15+, £39.99, available from Amazon) got amazing reviews. The single player looks, from what I have seen, amazing. However, it is supposed to be short and so I would recommend making sure you have online before choosing this game.

• Assassin's Creed - This free roaming (16+, £39.48, available at Amazon) game features heavy amounts of Parkour. The game does feature some annoying issues (such as un-skipable, dull speeches) which detract from the polished graphics and fun free-running system, but a fun game none the less.

I hope this was helpful. For most games I have provided links to Amazon, but you may have also noticed that a lot of the time Amazon will not deliver by Christmas. I recommend using play.com and local Game and HMV stores may have the products in stock. Also, remember that most shops offer gift cards, so if you can't get what you or the receiver wants, get them this and allow them to choose it themselves. Have a very happy Christmas and spread the good word (of this site!)

Corruption Complete

I have finished Metroid Prime 3 for the Wii. It took about the same time as Metroid Prime 1, but no where near as challenging. Although I will be posting a full review some time before the end of the month, here are my thoughts upon completing the game. The game, overall, is very good. The controls are fantastic, the graphics are great, the worlds are varied and there are some interesting dynamics. However, there is a lot of unharnessed potential in this game. I will go in to more details in the review, but things like the space ship, the different planets and the controls feel like they could have been used a lot more before they would start to feel "used"

I am yet to find everything, however I am already on 85% (much higher than in MP1) and apparently there is this thing that shows where all the power ups are. So, I think this game is coming to an end. The new difficulty is said to be much harder, but a multiplayer mode feels strongly missing. Like I said, full review coming soon.

A few Wii games that I have been following have come out and the reviews released. Although I haven't had the opportunity to play on them yet, the reviews are very positive. The most notable of them is Super Mario Galaxy. I was always slightly sceptical about a 3D Mario game, having never played on M64 or Sunshine, however, with a GS score of 9.5, there has to be something good in it. Plus, there are 2D galaxies too! Am I going to get this? My brain says yes, however, I am currently planning to get a 360 soon after Christmas, so I am only going to be able to get one game.

So what is the other game that is in the contest. Medal of Honour 2: Heroes. What, a Medal of Honour game is competing with Mario?! Let me explain, I thought the controls in MP3 where amazing. Both IGN and GS say they are better in Heroes, due to the fact one can customise them indefinitely. On top of this, it has a, apparently, rock steady 32 player online mode. Something which is rare enough on the Wii.

Other games that sound amazing are Assassins Creed and Call of Duty 4. I admit I wasn't really sure what to expect from Assassins creed, but from what I have read, it sounds amazing. Parkour galore and apparently on a similar scale to Oblivion. Yet another game I need to get for my 360...

Call of Duty 4 I noticed at E3 and it literally blew my mind. I was on the edge of my seat, and I was watching a poorly streamed video of it, not even playing it. The campaign is said to be short, which is a shame as everything I have heard about it is a "woah" a minute. Still, the multiplayer is also meant to hold up to just a high quality.

I should be able to play on both of those games hopefully. I finally got the chance to play on a PS3 yesterday. Well, I say play, it hung, twice. I hope it was just the way the console was set up in the store, but it didn't exactly reflect great on the PS3. On the plus side, the controller does feel amazing. Either because it was wired or because it didn't have rumble it was very light. I love the new R2/L2 buttons and I still stand by my statement that the dual shock will always beat the Xbox controller. Shame the console isn't quite as good. Or the range of games. Or the price. You get the picture.

Metal Gear Solid and Civilization Revolutions

Metal Gear Solid is Two Games

I was reading a post about the Wiis success in the gaming market when I came upon an interesting piece of news about MGS that I was unaware of. They are splitting the game in to two. The single player portion and the multiplayer portion. That would be absolutely outrageous anyway but it is the only AAA PS3 title left. Everything else is on the 360. The big PS exclusive was GTA, which will be coming out at the same time on the 360 with bonus content. This leaves the PS3 exclusive looking very weak, with BigPlanetLittlePlannet and Home being the only titles worth owning. A very good quote from the post is:

Imagine if you bought Halo 3, completed the story/single player mode, and then when attempting to go online, you get prompted to purchase an additional online pack for another 40 bucks.

Civilization Revolutions

For those who don't know, Civilization Revolutions is the ever popular Civ franchise ported, no sorry, built for consoles. It is currently confirmed for PS3, 360, Wii and DS. Obviously the Wii and DS seem to be the most suited to the game as they both have mouse like abilities. However, GS recently got to try a version for the 360. You use the joystick as the mouse and the face buttons to issue orders. To me, using the joystick as a mouse has always been a fiddly affair best avoided (as in the case of Red Alert for the PS2) however GS says it works well. Civ has the added benefit of being turn based, so there is no rush, however fiddly controls could put off console gamers as they will, in general, not have played many turn based strategy games, preferring action. None the less, I eagerly await this title as I may be able to use it to get more people playing full Civ on the PC

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Now playing: Radiohead - In Rainbows (Their new album which YOU choose the price (even £0)
Get it here
via FoxyTunes

Sony dosen't like the UK

Long term readers of this blog will be aware of my dislike of the PS3. Recently, my opinion had started to become less serve. The graphics were improving, I was starting to see the benefit of having a Media centre that wasn't owned by Microsoft (leading to propitiatory formats only) and LittleBig planet looks really good. Then Sony announced the price drop in the UK. The price will be reduce to £349. Still over priced, but it should be worth it now, as HD is about to become the standard for TV, and once that happens you're going to notice the difference when watching non-HD DVDs. This price includes two games.

However, Sony have just announced that the 60GB model will be discontinued, and when it runs out, it runs out. It will be superseded by a 40GB model, no free games and no support of PS games. This will be priced at £299. This is outrageous. Sony takes everything away from the UK. By next year, assuming that these PS3 sell, it will be impossible to get a backwards compatible PS3. Sony should just cut their losses, release the 60GB in Europe for £299, take the losses like a man and reap the benefits of a far more loving community. Sony has lost a lot of money from the PS3, a bit more isn't going to make any difference, but if they shift a million units in the UK, they are laughing.

Console Wars Summary

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, I don't even have an excuse, how rubbish is that. However, I do have an article on the console wars for you. And the person who left the comment "ok" cheers!

Xbox 360

The Xbox 360 was the first to be launched and has successfully established itself as a house hold name. The range of games is stunning, challenged only by the number of must have games. Titles such as Forza 2, Gears of War and Oblivion truly stand out, but are just a few of the games. Now, although these games might not all be unique to the 360, they are all done well, without any issues to the 360. One of the criticism leveled at the Xbox was the range of games, Microsoft has clearly learnt and improved. What continues to amaze me is more must have titles just keep coming. Haze, Halo 3 and Bio-Shock to name just a few. As the 360 was priced much cheaper than the PS3, most people expected the graphics to not be as good, however, a recent test done by GameSpot, shows this not to be the case. Another service worth noting is the Xbox Live Arcade, which has set the way for small developers to create more innovative games without needing funding from publishers (post coming soon)The system has only two very minor drawbacks, firstly, it is the only system where you pay for online play. However, the service that Microsoft offer is above and beyond what Nintendo and Sony are even pretending to offer. The other draw back is its film capabilities. It will cost you quite a bit to kit your 360 to play HD films, setting the price at about PS3 levels. On top of the fact that you will be using HD-DVD, the format that is losing at the moment. However, Microsoft did file the 360 under a games console rather than a advanced movie player. All in all, I will make the conclusion time in and time out, the 360 is a very rock solid console. It will provide you with games what ever your tastes and it won't let you down online. The 360 has well earned its price tag with its extensive range of games out now and promised for the near future.

Nintendo Wii

The Wii is the cheapest console. Its main selling point is the revolutionary controller. At first, many thought it would be gimmicky, but it really isn't. I will be the first to admit that with some games it is a little tacky and there are a lot of rubbishy party game on it for the moment. But they really don't do the controller or the system justice. The good games on the Wii at the moment are quite limited, but they are good. Zelda is an epic adventure game where the story will keep you entertained. Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz uses the Wiimote fantastically in single player and there are quite a few good multiplayer games. Failure to mention the hugely fun Wii Sports that is bundled with You must bare in mind that with something as wacky as the Wii, there has to be some experimentation, and with experimentation comes failure, but I hope developers learn from the failures. It is also worth noting the Wii Shop. This used to offer a wide range of NES, SNES N64 and other retro console games available for download. This service was good, but did not rival Xbox Live Arcade. However, Nintendo have now opened it up for smaller developers like the arcade. This is very good as the Wiimote lends itself excellently to mini games that fail when forced to elborate to a full £40 game.

Sony PS3

The PS3 is the most expensive console and the only console not to sell out. The PS2 had a massive following so this came some what as a surprise. However, it can probably be blamed on a bumpy road leading up to launch. Over the time between E3 2006 and the launch of the PS3 Sony has suffered a huge amount of media attack for downgrading their console, for loosing exclusives and angering customers. By the time of launch, combined with the effect of the 360 excellent games and the hype surrounding the Wii, no one had enough money left to buy a PS3. The reason why the PS3 is so expensive is because it features a blu-ray disk player. It is in fact the cheapest Blu-Ray player. However, I believe that the PS3 is just too expensive. The range of games, which is what people buy video game consoles for, is limited to say the least. The fact that the graphics weren't better than the 360 also had an effect on the sales as that is why people would have bought it. All was not lost for the PS3, they still had some exclusives, yes people were annoyed about the delayed launch in the UK , but they could have forgiven Sony. Then they downgraded the console to not support PS2 and 1 titles, but just for Europe. For most, this was the final straw, they went out and bought a 360. Things have started to look up for the PS3 with exciting things like the exciting idea of Home amongst many other things, but for many it is too little too late.

In conclusion, the 360 is a very sturdy console that has a great deal of great games with some interesting ideas. The Wii is the most volatile console, but has pulled it off. There is promise of many new games coming to it and gives people more and more reasons to buy it. The PS3 is far too expensive at the moment, if the price was lowered by about £100 a lot more people would get it, then they could get more games and the whole circle would start turning again.

Co-Op AI

Now, I was reading OPM (Official PS Magazine) today (I bought it for its preview in to Mercs 2) and saw an article about a game called Army of Two. Basically, the whole game is played co-opertativly. The preview went in to great depth about how the AI that was on your team was clever. They gave examples of how, when you send them in to a dangerous situation they might not go, or at the very least, they would start complaining. This article got me thinking.

What AoT have done is definitely a step in the right direction. I think the next step will be, instead of them complaining when you send them to their death, instead you won't order them because you feel so attached to them you don't want them to die. To build this up they would not only have to be smart, they have have a personality. Also, they need to act consistently to make them believable and you need to have spent a lot of time with them, maybe in training they would help you out, and you would help them out. The new Fable is taking steps in this direction with the dog that you get. Apparently, the player will become attached to this dog and the dog you to you. You will have to care for it and it will help you in battle. The dog is persistent so if you leave it, some days later it will show up again. The problem with the becoming attached concept is firstly, some people wouldn't be effected by this (because they have no heart) and would send their man to die. This could potentially upset the rest of the game balance as the character couldn't come back to life or the connection would be lost on the people who are effected. Also, people might be too effected by it and not want to play it. The balance would need to be just right for it to work. Obviously, the superior hardware will help, but it will rely on humans making human characters with human personalities and human fear.

On a side note, I managed to get 2000 Wii Points half price with this magazine and I have already downloaded Super Mario Bros. I will review this and the other titles I will get soon. I am hoping to do my first video review with it as well. Can you contain your excitement?

PS3 Price Drop

Well, Sony may still be arrogant enough to not drop the price, but local retailers aren't so sure. Yesterday, walking back from the cinema (saw the new Bean film, review soon), I was a PS3 ad (hand drawn) for advertising PS3's for £400. It is still to expensive, but it shows that shops are desperate to sell them. Only one shop has done this at current, but I am sure that if it works, then all the other shops will follow suit. I say it is a local thing because, a) the other shops haven't changed and b)Sony have not made an announcement.

I think the price will drop again, this time to £350 and then they will start selling. As a result, the other shops will report to their respective HQs that if they lower the price to £350 the consoles start to sell. As a result there will be a nation-wide price drop. The only thing stopping this is if Sony are selling them to shops at £350 as shops will not want to loose money on sails (although having said that, people would then buy PS3 games and better something than nothing). The shop that initiated this was Blockbuster, their reason is they have put a lot of backing behind the PS3. Now renting blu-ray DVDs and they stock mainly PS3 games.

PS3 Ad

Now, long term readers of this blog (or the mysterious person who did the mysterious search, see previous post) will remember a photo I posted of a 360 poster. At the time I was commenting on what the poster said, however, now I am commenting on the poster itself. Here is the original image:
Its not amazing but it does the job just fine. Now take a look at this photo of the PS3 poster. It is basically saying the same thing, but isn't quite as good...
Now can anyone spot the difference. Now I know most of you are all sighing complaining that I am going PS3 bashing again but really, for a company that knows its console isn't doing well, shouldn't they at least try to invest some money in to advertising. What is more, this isn't my first post about a disappointing advertising campaign. Once again, Sony shoot themselves in the foot.

Xbox 360 Advertising Campaign and new PS3 Model

Wow, second post of today! Saw this picture and laughed:
That is good PR. Also, Sony have announced an Elite version of the PS3 that will come with an 80gb HDD, further details yet to be announced. Has the world forgotten the Wii, Microsoft are going at Sony, and Sony at Microsoft, but the Wii is just staying out of it. It is because they don't have HD and aren't even bothered. An example of this confilct is a letter Sony sent to PS3 owners:

"We think every PlayStation 3 owner should have an 'elite' experience, which is why we include an internal hard drive and HDMI output in every PS3 we sell, along with the 50 GB of storage capacity on a high definition Blu-ray disc. Sony has been the strongest advocate of high definition as the future of next-generation gaming. This requires high-definition components, including HDMI output, and large storage devices to deliver and store all that rich and vivid HD content. Microsoft's announcement today not only legitimizes Sony's PS3 strategy, it moves us closer to adopting universal standards in the area of high definition gaming that will benefit game developers and ultimately the end user."

Maybe they will destroy each other and then every game developer will have to develop for Wii.

PS3 Launch

The PS3 is out. Wow. The next generation is officially here in England. Song handed out, get this, FREE Bravia HD TVs worth £2000! Suddenly the PS3 seems so cheap. Now a lot of the people at the launch interpreted this as "proof that Sony is a really nice company" aside from the fact that Sony is just like every other company: heartless. All they were trying to do was get some press coverage seeming as they predicted they weren't going to sell out. They did not sell out, only about 150 people turned up for the launch and there were 600 consoles to be bought. Back in my town, they are in stock now (sadly not with a free Bravia TV) Sadly for Sony, this launch is a failure. I should be able to get myself invited round somewhere and play on a PS3 and it won't be long before Game have a demo one set up so a review will be on the way.

If you are wondering why there is a lack of Wii posts, this is because Nintendo is keeping everything (and always has kept everything) under tight wraps. I am going to try and piece together a preview of Battalion Wars 2. I have plenty of Wii posts in the pipeline, but Nintendo is making it quite hard at the moment to post anything. For example, I wanted to review the ORIGINAL Mario, but the Wii shop isn't working. I need to finish my Zelda review as I have has 2 people add my on GS since I copied all my reviews over to it.

In addition, I managed to get a go on Worms from the Xbox Live Arcade. It reverts back to the 2D format it started at. This is much better, and I had great fun playing on it. Some of the options are a little limited compared to what they have been previously but it does have the addition of Xbox Live. Full(ish) review coming later tonight/tomorrows. Thanks for the recent comments on my blog, your feedback and contributions will help me improve the blog.

PS Backwards Compatability

Films, Gaming and Life.: My PS2 compatibility list

This blog has a list of games he has that will/will run with issues won't run list (for the PS3) Although 75% game will work, many of them with issues, some with serious issues.

It will be interesting to see what "serious issues" and "minor issues" entail. I reckon that by tomorrows there will be websites dedicated to reporting amusing problems had with old games and YouTube will receive a hail storm of videos. That is, if anyone plays on their PS2 games and not there PS3 games...

Incidentally, to further discredit Sony further, their website only let you check individual games rather than seeing the entire list. This was presumably to hide their failure. I am sure it won't be long until someone works through every game and creates that list... maybe I should do it...

GDC 2007

GDC, although not finished, has received its key note speeches from Nintendo and Sony (it ends March 9th).

Nintendo

The Wii has not had a overwhelming number of great titles since its release, furthermore, this speech was hyped up the night before when Shigeru Miyamoto said he had a lot to say at the speach having recived a standing ovation. However, nothing was actually said. The speach started 30 min late and only finished 15 minutes late. He rambled about the principles of games developments which is all well and good, except thats all he did. He did not talk about any plans for the Wii, or even up coming games they are making.

Sony

Not often I praise Sony is it? However, their speech was far more interesting. It was mainly about a new free internet service they will (hopefully) be releasing later this year. It is a social game called "Home." You sign in to it and go to a virtual world. Once you have created your avatar, you go to the lobby. From here you can meet friends and go to a number of places. Namely, a bowling ally, a cinema where you will actually be able to pay to watch real films (providing Sony get copyright) and go clothes shopping. On the last example most clothes will be free, however, Sony hope to include the opportunity to buy say Nike clothes at a fee. Also, you have an apartment. You can get loads of, once again, branded stuff. There is going to be a fairly impressive physics engine in this game, and you will be able to kick your furniture around. This sounds really good and, although not enough to make me rush out and buy a PS3, I am beginning to think it kind of rivals the 360.

I am slightly concerned that as this could be the gaming event that takes over as the new E3 it was deathly boring. Good thing I read it for you to give you a concise version.

On a unrelated note, one poor person sold is PS2 days before Sony announced the downgrading of the PS3. On a more positive note, 1000 games are scheduled to work on launch and Sony said they would prioritize the good games.

Full PS3 preview coming soon...

PS3 Pic

My friend sent me this picture. Found it hysterical. The only improvement is if the dude had a hat! Full PS3 report coming soon.

Gut Reactions: PS3 International Hardware - Features at GameSpot

Gut Reactions: PS3 International Hardware - Features at GameSpot: "It's gotten to the point that if Sony said it was replacing the PS3's cell processor with bits of string and biscuits, European residents wouldn't be all that shocked."

This is shocking. The PS3 is actually being DOWNGRADED for Europe. Now, as it is well known, I am no fan of the PS3, I just hope anyone who is the is a wake up call. Sony don't care about you. This is just when I was beginning to understand the price as, providing Blu-ray wins the HD competition, is only £19 less than the X360+HD DVD drive. However, if you don't want to watch HD movies, still ridiculously expensive. Back to the point, this just shows that Sony have really lost it. I recommended reading the report as there are some very funny lines. I could only use on as a quote though. There is one about BBC making a console and making the rest of the world wait 10 years which is funny too.

On a lighter note, games RRP is not £70 but has been put down to £40, £5 less the 360 titles.

PS3 Advertising Campaign

The PS3 is coming out in March this year for the UK and Europe. So naturally, advertising starts to appear in shop windows. Now normally, when a product is expensive, as the PS3 unarguably is, the advertising campaign is usually good. This is because, when the company has made such a huge investment into the product, spending money on advertising seems to be money well spent and quite trivial. So, naturally, I thought the PS3 advertising campaign would be good. In blockbuster however, they had hand drawn the words "PS3 Pre Sale; £50 Deposit". Each character was on a piece of a4 paper. Now if that isn't rubbish I don't know what is. Games was slightly better, they had printed of a black and white picture of the PS3 and stuck it on to a a2 piece of paper with "Pre-order your PS3 inside today only." This was top of the range: TYPED! That was up for about 2 weeks so whether they got not enough pre orders or couldn't be bothered to take it down I don't know.

Fortunately, there are now proper adverts up printed on a colour printer! I was going to post this before they sorted it out, but my internet broke :(.
In other news: Google has released Google Docs and Spreadsheets. I think this is a sure sign they are going to make a OS or at the very least a web browser. To demonstrate I have put a spread sheet up for you all the view here. Contains details of console sales in January. Prices estimates.

Xbox 360 Versus PlayStation 3 Graphics Comparison

Xbox 360 Versus PlayStation 3 Graphics Comparison - Features at GameSpot
This is a major point. The selling point of the PS3, was that it was superior i hardware at the VERY least. In this comparison, the graphics are usually worse, and also the frame rate was meant to be slower. Either Sony have been lying, or there is something seriously wrong with their hardware. On the last page, scroll down to the comment by ellisthered it is very good.

This has stunned me. The 360, I always thought was a better console overall, because it had Xbox live, a rumble controller and good graphics, on top of a suitable price tag. However, I thought that, if you paying £550 for something, the very least you want from it is it to be the best at SOMETHING.

Sony have, as I originally said they would, screwed this up. They say that Microsoft are wrong for launching two different price packages, and then do that. They say that the Wii controller is gimmicky, then copy it and, because they don't have as much time to make it good, it really is gimmicky. They price it way above the other consoles. They claim it is going to have the best graphics and processing power: it doesn't. They waste time and gamers money adopting an obscure format (blu-ray) like they did on the PSP. The only thing Sony have done right is not change the console name so millions of people go out and buy it because it is the PLAYSTATION 3. Will there be a PS4, I would have always said yes, but I don't know anymore. It will be interesting to see what happens to Ebay prices after this report. And Sony's stock price for that matter.

PS3 backward compatibility marred - News at GameSpot

PS3 backward compatibility marred - News at GameSpot: "This isn't a huge issue, sure, but if you payed $600 + for your system, it would be awful nice if it worked like it's supposed to."

I was reading about the backwards compatability issues with the PS3 and the comment "his isn't a huge issue, sure, but if you payed $600 + for your system, it would be awful nice if it worked like it's supposed to." made me simle. Some people are critizing sony, but the X360 only 200 games WORK. Obviously, we have to wait to the Wii to see if if Nintendo pull it off, but they are including support for different disksizes, about 40 years of consoles and they have a completly different controller to anything before. I don't think this is a massive failure for Sony, like people who can afford a console at $600+ sold his PS2 which played PS1 games fine.

PS3 pushing SCE $1.71 billion into red - News at GameSpot

PS3 pushing SCE $1.71 billion into red - News at GameSpot

Sony admit to losing money. Is this a slippery slope that will result in the downfall of Sony. The thing that Sony is relying on is blu-ray. The problem is, last time Sony tried to enforce their own format, it failed. Movies stopped becoming widly avalible for the PSP, could this be the same old story. Part of me wants to see Sony die just so I have proved my self right. However, less compettion means less development and competitive pricing. If Blu-ray does fail, will Microsoft buy Sony so they can use the controller. Another theory of mine is Google. Why not? They have the funds, they have the technology, but most importantly, the still have Sergy and Brin and a whole team devoted to coming up with innovative ideas. For those who are unable to read between the lines I was suggesting that Google could create a console.