30/10/2012 - Jetpack Joyride: Metro Addiction!

So as the title states - I am playing this game from the Windows 8 Metro store, not the iOS or Android version. These two mobile versions can be found here: [iOS] and [Android].

For everyone that has joined over onto the new Windows 8 - and those going to - Jetpack Joyride is a MUST PLAY! It is free - with a 100% addiction factor (especially in my case).

Jetpack Joyride (created by Halfbrick) is a simple game in its core mechanics - your mission is to use a stolen jetpack to reach the furthest possible distance while using a variety of available vehicles, collecting coins, AND avoiding lasers and rockets!

The numerous vehicles in the game include:

The "Bad As Hog" and "Gravity Suit".

"Stomper" and the "Crazy Freaking Teleporter".

My favourite "Mr. Cuddles" and "Profit Bird" (with Flash the dog)!

So what makes this game so damn addictive? Progression and pure vanity!
Progression comes through the levelling system and the missions that are given to you to allow you to level up. Once you have completed all the missions you have the ability to restart the mission 'set-list' but still continue your level progression - also giving you the player achievements. The missions range for the basics reaching a certain distances with a vehicle to having 'close calls' to a numerous amount of lasers.

So... You've now played the game - ridden on Mr. Cuddles and have collected a large number of coins, but what do you use them for? Pretty vanity stuff of course! And well... maybe some gadgets and upgrades that could help you progress further much easier. The options include: Clothing, Jetpacks, Vehicle Upgrades, Utilities, and Gadgets. So in short you can turn your Barry character into a punk bodied zombie with a bubble-gun jetpack!

This game is perfect for all the casual gamers as it is both mobile and metro. The addictive aspect of the game is currently becoming very hard to break free from - but this little gem with definitely keep you going during those little work breaks.

Thanks to this - I need to save up for my Windows Phone 8 and a gorgeous Microsoft Surface!

Thanks for listening!

Toodles x

25/10/2012 - Hawken: Closed Beta 1 Dates

Come this weekend the first Closed Beta event for HAWKEN will be upon us! The dates and times are:

• Friday, 26th October - 12pm PDT (-8hrs GMT), until
• Monday, 29th October - 11.59pm (-8hrs GMT).

HAWKEN is a Mech-based MMO with lots of PewPew and BoomBooms!

What are you waiting for? Sign up now!!! Beta keys are scattered all over the internets - so it shouldn't be too hard to find one. ^_^

http://www.playhawken.com/

Such a pretty killing machine! <3

Thanks for listening!

Toodles x

17/10/2012 - Playstation All-Stars Public Beta First Impressions

Addict of Fiction: [Post]

As the PlayStation store updated today (yesterday for NA) PlayStation Plus subscribers (PS3) and PSVita owners were able to download the PlayStation All-Stars public beta. Non-PlayStation Plus subscribers can join the beta in next weeks store update.

Although, when this game was first announced a lot of people were just adamant that PS-AS was going to be a pure Super Smash Bros clone. Yes, I can happily agree that both games shame similarities but I believe that PlayStation All-Stars can win the public's hearts by just being a really fun game.

In the public beta you have two options available to you: Tutorial - to teach you the basics of the game; and Tournament - where you get randomly matched with anyone playing around the world.
The overall controls are pretty basic and easy to grasp, with only one small difference between the PS3 and PSVita - with the Vita you have to tap the screen to pick up/drop items (which I would say makes it slightly more difficult if you have small hands and can't reach the centre of the screen).

There are two online maps that are currently playable: Metropolis (Ratchet & Clank themed stage invaded by God of War), and Hades (God of War themed stage invaded by Patapon). Both of these maps were good fun to play and watching them evolve during the match was pretty amazing.
The 6 playable characters include: Kratos (God of War), Sweet Tooth (Twisted Metal), Colonel Radec (Killzone 2), Sly Cooper (Sly Cooper), PaRappa (PaRappa the Rapper), and Fat Princess (Fat Princess). Each of them have their own individual special attacks ranging from: a super powered-up sword with insta-kill abilities and a 'targeting' ability (where you hunt down your opponents - also insta-killing them).

Yes this is a public beta - and things can still change within the game. Currently I've noticed a few random connection issues with being kicked from the fight, but other than that I've been pretty lucky and everything else seems to be running smoothly. I really can't wait for the full game to release - now to decide... PS3 or PSVita?

Thanks for listening!
Toodles x

12/10/2012 - Eurogamer Expo 2012: Overview

Okay… So I know that this is a little late – but everyone gets busy every now and then. Here I’m going to talk briefly about some of the games that I played while at Eurogamer this year with my own views and comments.

[I shall apologise now if some games sound like a little rant… I was just disappointed…]

Assassins Creed 3

There were 2 playable demos for AC3, one where you infiltrate an army base to collect something hidden and then escape while the place is being bombarded with cannon fire; then the other gave you a true feeling of the water combat system.

The first impressions of the first demo was that there wasn’t any graphical improvements whatsoever, it feels like there hasn’t been any improvements in the engine and just gave the impression of ‘outdated’. The first convocation with Connor featured also showed clipping of his hair… Smooth. More clipping issues came to light later in the demo when you tried to ‘swing’ on a wooden support – which is square... And your swinging animation only counts for circle poles… Yeah… So Connor suddenly had no wrists at that point. Again – smooth.

I’m not sure what really is different but I personally found it a lot harder to ‘sneak’ compared to predecessors. Along with that when you finally tested out your new combat skills they just felt very slow (again, compared to the other games). When you finally killed your enemy he just turned to jelly! It seems they suddenly removed all their bone structure and the fall limp into weird (and not so wonderful) positions.

The water combat demo made me cry a little inside… Although the water graphics and the wave physics were extremely impressive – when it came to the actual combat it again felt very slow and clunky to me. Some games are able to pull off water combat just fine, but in AC3 I didn’t enjoy it at all.
[Again, this is my personal opinion, not everyone totally agrees with me and enjoyed the water combat system.]

Connor is going to have to come up with some smooth chat up lines to woo me like Ezio!

Tomb Raider

So… Own a Playstation 3? Ever played any of the Uncharted series? No? Well, then you’re missing out on a great game series and are partially lucky at the same time.

Each of the TR demos were played on the 360 (I wonder why…) and even with a different controller it still felt as if I was playing one of the Uncharted games. Yes I understand that Uncharted was originally based off Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider, but it feels like this time Tomb Raider has taken many ideas and aspects of the game from Uncharted.

Other than that it is a great improvement of the game series compared to the original (hated them controls so much…) and although it may initially appear simplified to some hardcore gamers, it will be a sigh of relief to a larger audience.

Strike Suit Zero

My personal hidden gem of the show and Addict of Fiction’s Game of the Show!

If you’re a fan of robots and Mechas and space combat – then this game is for you! If you looking for something that is a little bit more challenging and something slightly a bit different than most things currently on the market, then again this game is for you!

This game features amazing graphics, which just emphasizes the gameplay so much. For someone like me I found the combat and gameplay a little difficult and unforgiving (if you die, the mission fails) but other than that I had fun playing it and can’t wait for the betas! Check it out: [Facebook]!

Halo 4

Like most shooter games featured at expos – you play the multiplayer aspect, rather than any campaign. This means that I generally SUCK! I tend to die a lot and sometimes rage quit. But this time I actually thoroughly enjoyed the pvp multiplayer, yes I died more times than I would care to mention but… I didn’t come last!

Other than that, the game felt fresh and new without being too different. Everything was smooth, combat was fun, and I enjoyed killing people! Sadly this means that I might have to invest in a 360 console just to play it…

SimCity

A brilliant regeneration of the game series, you can read my full hands-on preview here: [Post]

Company of Heroes 2

Another solid demo featured at this year’s expo. It is another genre that again I'm not normally very good at, but again I enjoyed and can’t wait for the beta with my early beta access pass I received.
There were a few bugs and glitches, but it is still in development – and like anything, it’s expected.

Wii U

So... The Wii U was one of the biggest attractions of this years expo and it definitely lived up to my expectations. The large tablet (although quite bulky) was very light and easy to use on the variety of games that we tested it on.

I had a play on Rayman Legends, Super Mario Bros. U, and Nintendo Land. I personally didn't try ZombieU (due to my personal fear of them) but from observing other people and their reactions it is a very solid game.
Nintendo Land uses your own Miis in a variety of mini games which you can either play with your friends or against them. Mini game themes range from: The Legend of Zelda, Harvest Moon, and Luigi's Mansion - but the list goes on. These were really fun and a huge step up for family games compared to original Wii Play. Rayman Legends is a MUST BUY for this console! I cannot express how much fun I had playing this in co-op mode, especially when your partner can just pure and totally troll you by smashing spikes in your face! 

The Expo

Although there were a lot of amazing games featured at this year’s Eurogamer Expo, but sadly I believe that 2011 was much better. I only attended on the Sunday last year and obtained a greater haul of freebies compared to this years jointed effort of Saturday and Sunday. It’s like this year the game companies either gave out all their freebies in the first two days, and didn’t leave anything for the busiest day of the event, or just don’t love the community enough *sad face*.

Other than that – I’m still looking forward to next year! I might go on the Thursday then – so I don’t miss out on any of the freebies!

Thanks for listening!

Toodles x

03/10/2012 - Eurogamer Expo Hands On Preview: SimCity

Addict of Fiction: [Post]

Maxis is one of those companies that are very good at recreating popular games to keep up with their audience and keeping the technology they use at the top of its game. The Sims is a prime example of their ability to upgrade graphics and the overall game quality as players gain better computers and can handle more. The SimCity franchise is no different! The regeneration of the SimCity franchise will be available Feb 2013 and is definitely a MUST-HAVE for all previous fans of the franchise.

At the Eurogamer Expo, SimCity was one of the first games that I happily queued up to get a look at as I was already looking forward to it – being able to play a demo of the game was just a giant bonus.

The demo was a simple tutorial of the game that took you through a multitude of things which taught you how to play the game with hints on how your actions could affect the way your city runs. For example: If you build educational buildings within your city – you’re making the people smarter and they become more tuned with issues within your city (like pollution etc), which can both be good and bad thing.

So, in the demo you are faced with a numerous amount of protestors at the city hall and you have to make them all happy so they just leave you alone. This includes building a basic road to the nearest motorway (or highway… it’s all American terminology…), turning on the power plant, creating a sewage system, building fire stations – the list goes on. One of the simple parts of the game that impressed me is the way that you are able to ‘upgrade’ buildings and add extra parts onto it. For example: adding a new block to the university or adding more garages to the dump so there are more garbage trucks (or for the English – Dust-bin men) to handle your growing city.

The game also has quests to complete, ranging from the simple “gain 300 population” to “increase your daily income to +$10000”, with many others in between. Individual Sims can also give you quests relating to them and how you can make their lives just that little bit easier.

After creating join roads, segments appear which you can either leave blank or set to a theme: residential, commercial, or industrial. By setting a theme, people that come to your city and will automatically begin to build buildings on that segment relating to that theme. If a building collapses or becomes abandoned on the segment, if you knock it down it frees up space and the Sims begin building on it all again. By having a sweet balance of each zone allows a city to fully be prosperous and hopefully happy.

Finally at the end of the demo you received your first-hand experience of the natural disasters as a large meteor shower falls and destroys half of your city. It was truly amazing, but kind of made me sad as I lost half of my hard work.

Overall, this game is beautiful and is truly going to deliver the city-building simulation revival that everyone has been waiting for. I can’t wait to try out all the awesome features when it releases – including all the multiplayer options.

Thanks for listening!

Toodles x

21/09/2012 - Darkfall: Unholy Wars Release Date Announced!

Addict of Fiction: [Post]

The release date and the overall announcement for Darkfall: Unholy Wars has snuck up on everyone! The remake of the original Darkfall Online will be available to play from 20^th November 2012, with a box price of $29.99/€29.99 and a monthly subscription.

Although the original Darkfall Online also had a subscription, with the recent release of Guild Wars 2 – will this change their views on pricing? But trying to compare Darkfall to GW2 is totally wrong in my books, in my opinion I’d put both games in totally different leagues although they are both fantasy MMOs. I would link in Darkfall more closely to games such as EVE Online due to internal content governed mainly by the players.

Not a lot of information has been released about the new Darkfall: Unholy Wars, but if it is going to be like the developers describe it in the video above it’s going to definitely be a great game. The original community is fully behind the game providing comments and feedback which the devs are listening to help them create the perfect game for what the players want.

Darkfall: Unholy Wars is a largely PvP focused game especially with the full loot feature which makes “you keep what you kill” litteral, with players being able to loot all items from the enemies which they kill – and vice versa. I hope that features such as player created cities and participating in large PvP battles and sieges will be one of the features that bring in new players to test the game. I’ll definitely want to try everything out!

A large number of awesome screenshots can be found below.

You can sign up for future news about Darkfall: Unholy Wars here: [Link]

Thanks for listening!

Toodles x

18/09/2012 - Ecolibrium: PSVita Ecosystem Simulation Goodness!

Addict of Fiction: [Post]

Before I get into details some people just want to know this simple information: It’s FREE and includes TROPHIES!

Ecolibrium has been recently added to our PSVita stores this week as the next in the series of Discovery Apps to be added to the system, the first being the weird and *slightly annoying* Frobisher Says!

Like all games it is somewhat advised to run through the tutorials first, this is one of those games that I would highly recommend starting with the tutorials before jumping into any challenges. Once you get used to how the game plays and the whole idea of creating a thriving ecosystem.

So like I’ve mentioned above, this is a real-time ecosystem simulator – so the general aim of the game is to create a successful ecosystem. Ecosystems with a greater equilibrium and a more diverse biodiversity earns your more Ecopoints per hour, I’ll mention more about where you can spend these later on.

Starting with the basics of creating an ecosystem within Ecolibrium you need to pay attention to numbers! Yay! Everyone loves numbers right?! For example, you need to plant trees for vegitation for herbivores to eat – but trees uses up moisture and minerals so you have to plant other specialist plants and fungi to make up for this loss. Sounds pretty simple right? Now you have species with a tiered food chain system, reproduction, hunting for food, and adaptation to creative alphas of the pack/heard/etc. Am I allowed to also mention the 15 day 4 seasons cycle and the possible natural disasters that have the chance of occuring? It may sound initially pretty easy, but as a long term basis keeping your ecosystem alive and happy could be a lot harder ideal to maintain.

Ecolibrium provides a number of different modes you can experience the game in. Free mode Ecosystems gives you the classic unlimited game time for you to create an evolve your perfect ecosystem – there are a few free mode maps scattered across the globe with extras costing Ecopoints (the ingame currency). Like free mode Ecosystems there are Challenge ecosystems across the globe as well. These have timed objectives and once completed give rewards such as extra Ecopoints and access to new species. Finally there is an Online Challenge mode! This is similar to the normal Challenge mode but your up against the world and only the top 100 competitors are rewarded with a prize.

Ecopoints! You’ve acquired a vast amount but what can you do with them? Well you can purchase extra Ecosystem areas to help you gain the currency more quickly; or use them to purchase species/plants-fungi/or artefacts from the in-game auction house. The auction house uses the Ecopoints currency only, however there is an in-game real money shop available for those whom wish to purchase game boxes – for a chance of retrieving new species and artefacts.

There are also LEADER BOARDS! Everyone loves a good vanity boost! You can check your Ecopoints score against either your friends, your Country, or the World! Facebook integration is also an added option so you can share any images you take in-game.

Here’s the official trailer for Ecolibrium – so check it out!

Thanks for listening!
Toodles x