lost in games

Reading: Stuart: A life backwards, by Alexander Masters. A biography of a homeless man in the UK. It’s too early to say anything of substance but it’s keeping my interest in the first few chapters.

Playing:  Panzer Tactics (DS). An excellent turn based WWII strategy game which will satisfy the more hardcore strategy gamer. It’s a clear case of a game receiving a lower rating than it should due to its narrow scope and audience. It keeps its targeted audience happy but not anyone else.

Watching: Battlestar Galactica: Season 3 . I am disappointed with this show. After watching the mini series i had my expectations set very high and has not lived up to them. The main issue i have with the show is that the decisions taken by the characters are not believable and often contradict previous ones they have taken. Humans do tend to be irrational and inconsistent but not to such an extent. Also it fails to take some interesting questions like “what defines humanity?” to the next level. It’s just keeps the show at a more soap opera standard.

I think the most interesting aspect of this show is that it truly reflects the era of the American history in which it was written and shown i.e. the war on terror and all that this implies.

Still planning to finish this but it’s more like going through the motions now than actual interest in the series.

Splinter Cell: Double Agent on the 360. After a frustrating first hour now i am really into it. A lot more comfortable with the controls and moving Fischer around stealthily. Loving it.

It seems that careful selection of what game to play next (even if older - SC:DA is 3 years old) is a lot more rewarding  than trying to keep up with the release schedule.

Also of note is Clover on the XBL Community Games. Basically a side-scrolling adventure with a watercolour style of visuals. Interesting puzzles and enjoyable soundtrack. Played around 2-3 hours and i think there is a lot more meat in it.

My first hour with the game was heaven. A game that requires you to examine the battlefield and set up defences within a limited time before you are attacked by the enemy.

Then the issues start.

1. The camera is fixed making it somewhat impossible to see behind walls or fight enemies which are behind walls.

2. Most importantly the touch system is not always responsive which can be unbelievably frustrating e.g. trying to fix a wall or attack an enemy only to realise that either your character is not responding to the tap or that you have actually tapped something else.

3. Lock, your character gets easily stuck behind walls, corners wasting precious time trying to get him where you need him to be.

I like the way the game plays (although somewhat repetitive so far) but it has some issues. Frustrating issues. Plus it’s quite lengthy from what i hear.

I have started a new weekly series of blog posts at OnThisIsland where i will be providing you with information on gaming events, interesting articles, videos and my views on games i am currently playing.

This series will complement the Game releases posts which can sometimes be handicapped by the quality and quantity of what is being released. If any of you out there stumble upon any stuff you find exciting feel free to email me (costas.taliadoros@gmail.com) and i will try to post them in future Professional Gamer posts.

Videos

Starting off this first post are three videos on Halo. You can say what you like about the quality of the Halo series but the Halo fan community is one of the most loyal and creative groups out there. If you like Red Hot Chili Peppers you will love the first one, Halo ((All I Play-Oh)) . The next video can be true of any multiplayer game, The Clan . If your gaming affects your relationship, then you can always Blame Halo 3!

Finally two non-gaming videos which are worthy of your attention. A fantastic promotional video for the Asics shoes brand (Link) and a video on how dolphins make their bubbles! (Link).

Read more here

I don’t know how i missed the launch of this expansion pack for FIFA 09 but it was released on Thursday, 19 March 2009. After reading a short article on this in the Guardian i downloaded it on Saturday.

This is an incredibly ambitious add on from EA and it shows. The EA servers have basically crashed and haven’t be able to do a proper session apart from Sunday morning.

I will be writing a few things about this one so be prepared for regular posts.

Artoon is a game which can be tried and bought on Xbox Live under the community games section. The game is basically a platformer where you take control of Art (a bouncing ball) and guide it through to the finishing block. But as in most good games, here it’s the journey that counts.

I first unlocked all the levels by doing the bare minimum requested. Now i am going through each level to achieve the grade A+  because it’s here that i get the full enjoyment of the game.You get multipliers for not jumping on the same block twice and also by making the “style bounce”. When you try and do these the game experience changes dramatically and for the best.

There are also some variations to the way the game plays. For example certain levels require you to have the camera at a certain angle so that there is no static interference making it impossible to see where Art is bouncing.

Then it’s the fantastic beat music. It helps you get the proper rythm like crowds clapping to long jump athletes just before that big jump.I feel that the music is part of  the gameplay.

To cap it off this is really a cheap game. At 400MS points (US$5) you really need to buy it or at least give the trial version a go.

Trailer

Gameplay Trailer