Here are a few snaps I took on my travels across Europe, it was a great experience and loved the diversity of food and culture.
Friday 4 July 2014
Thursday 13 June 2013
A Song of Ice And Fire
Sunday 5 May 2013
Metal Gear Rising Revengeance Review (short review as promised!)
Metal Gear Solid Rising is a fast paced, over the top action game, which mixes hack & slash with elements of stealth.
Some fans of the Metal Gear series have had very mixed views on MGR, obviously because A) Its pretty much the opposite of what a typical MG game stands for and B) It doesn't follow Solid Snake or Big Boss (the main protagonists of the series)
I'm a big fan of the series and have tried my utmost to keep up with the ever growing complexity of the story and its character. I kept an open mind about MGR because I love hack & slash games and I love MG games so this was a no brainer right!? we will see...
Zero to Hero?
In MGR you take control of a badass ninja cyborg named Raiden, but as you may be well aware he wasn't always this cool.
Raiden started off his transformation into a badass ninja cyborg when he appeared in MGS4. Since then I think Raiden has chipped away at peoples misconceptions of him and has been accepted as one of the characters who add another dimension to the storyline.
He has gone through a big transformation since MGS2 to repel the backlash of fans who hated his design. Hideo Kojima stated in one of his recent article on MGR that he really wants fans to like Raiden and embrace him as a cool character which people could enjoy playing.
Story
MGR takes place a few years after MGS4, PMC (Private Military Companies) have been busy creating half human half machine soldiers to fight in wars all over the globe, unfortunately for them there hasn't been much use for PMC's due to peacetime this is about to change. Raiden starts off the story as hired security for a political leader in Africa, when things go bad quickly, the leader is kidnapped by a rogue group of PMC's with the intention of starting a war.
As you would expect from a MG game the story is full of humour, moral justice & war which at times can get a bit too much but overall it doesn't have much of an negative impact on the game, If you've played MG games before you will be right at home!
Gameplay
From the get go MGR throws you straight into the action and from then on doesn't let down. The overtop action set pieces are a classic example of why Platinum games is such a brilliant studio, they're renowned for what they do best great combat gameplay!
They create moments which you use to say to yourself "I wish I could control this moment, instead I'm sitting here watching it!" You might of guessed it I'm talking about cut scene, Platium Games makes cut scene enjoyable by giving the player some sort of control during the action. Quicktime gameplay might have been done to death but in MGR it mixes it up so that it doesn't feel like you're just mashing buttons to do some elaborate action in the game it also uses direction, motion and timing.
The controls can first be a bit tricky to master but once you get the hang of the combat it's very satisfying to master. Blade mode is fun to use and can be quite enjoyable when linking a combo into it. It is also used subtly in cut scene, which I think is a clever touch in making the experience more immersive.
Stealth does make a return in this game but it isn't clear when and where you can stealth your way through, it can be very difficult to resist the urge to kill everything because the combat is great fun but at the same time you feel it was tacked on to appease the fans.
VR missions also make a welcomed return which adds good replay value and training for players who aren't so good at the game and need the practise.
The weapons throughout the game all have their own characteristics, strengths and weaknesses, each with their own effectiveness against different enemies types/boss fights. Speaking of the boss fights, they were the clear highlight for me each one is well thought out and a lot of fun to play.
Wrap it up B!
MGR does some things really well, the story, stealth and linear arena type level design may not to be to some people's liking BUT the combat, boss fights,weapons are all great fun and I would recommend any fan of the hack & slash genre or Platinum games to pick it up! and NO I don't do ratings!
I'm a big fan of the series and have tried my utmost to keep up with the ever growing complexity of the story and its character. I kept an open mind about MGR because I love hack & slash games and I love MG games so this was a no brainer right!? we will see...
Zero to Hero?
In MGR you take control of a badass ninja cyborg named Raiden, but as you may be well aware he wasn't always this cool.
 |
| MGS2 Raiden (zero?) |
Raiden started off his transformation into a badass ninja cyborg when he appeared in MGS4. Since then I think Raiden has chipped away at peoples misconceptions of him and has been accepted as one of the characters who add another dimension to the storyline.
 |
| MGS4 Raiden |
He has gone through a big transformation since MGS2 to repel the backlash of fans who hated his design. Hideo Kojima stated in one of his recent article on MGR that he really wants fans to like Raiden and embrace him as a cool character which people could enjoy playing.
 |
| MGR Raiden (hero?) |
MGR takes place a few years after MGS4, PMC (Private Military Companies) have been busy creating half human half machine soldiers to fight in wars all over the globe, unfortunately for them there hasn't been much use for PMC's due to peacetime this is about to change. Raiden starts off the story as hired security for a political leader in Africa, when things go bad quickly, the leader is kidnapped by a rogue group of PMC's with the intention of starting a war.
As you would expect from a MG game the story is full of humour, moral justice & war which at times can get a bit too much but overall it doesn't have much of an negative impact on the game, If you've played MG games before you will be right at home!
Gameplay
From the get go MGR throws you straight into the action and from then on doesn't let down. The overtop action set pieces are a classic example of why Platinum games is such a brilliant studio, they're renowned for what they do best great combat gameplay!
They create moments which you use to say to yourself "I wish I could control this moment, instead I'm sitting here watching it!" You might of guessed it I'm talking about cut scene, Platium Games makes cut scene enjoyable by giving the player some sort of control during the action. Quicktime gameplay might have been done to death but in MGR it mixes it up so that it doesn't feel like you're just mashing buttons to do some elaborate action in the game it also uses direction, motion and timing.
 |
| I'm running on missiles wooah! and don't it feel good! |
The controls can first be a bit tricky to master but once you get the hang of the combat it's very satisfying to master. Blade mode is fun to use and can be quite enjoyable when linking a combo into it. It is also used subtly in cut scene, which I think is a clever touch in making the experience more immersive.
 |
| Blade mode |
Stealth does make a return in this game but it isn't clear when and where you can stealth your way through, it can be very difficult to resist the urge to kill everything because the combat is great fun but at the same time you feel it was tacked on to appease the fans.
 |
| Stealth or not to stealth? |
VR missions also make a welcomed return which adds good replay value and training for players who aren't so good at the game and need the practise.
The weapons throughout the game all have their own characteristics, strengths and weaknesses, each with their own effectiveness against different enemies types/boss fights. Speaking of the boss fights, they were the clear highlight for me each one is well thought out and a lot of fun to play.
Wrap it up B!
MGR does some things really well, the story, stealth and linear arena type level design may not to be to some people's liking BUT the combat, boss fights,weapons are all great fun and I would recommend any fan of the hack & slash genre or Platinum games to pick it up! and NO I don't do ratings!
 |
| Little something for those who know the reference ;) |
Thursday 28 February 2013
MIA!
Well I've been away for sometime, due to being very busy indeed! many things have happened since my last post so I will have to do quite a few posts to cover all of it.
The Walking Dead has finally started back up again! and what a start it was! things have taken a turn for the worst for all parties involved, very interested in seeing how the last part of the season unfolds! I won't say too much for obvious reasons.
DmC was finally released, it has gotten a great reception from critics and fans, it reached number 1 in the charts, which I'm very proud to say.
Metal Gear Revengeance has finally been released, I have been playing the hell out of the game,overall I'm very satisfied with the game. I will be doing a small review soon for some of you who are interested in reading my opinion of the game.
Lastly I will be getting back to finishing off my multiplayer map, it has been sometime since I worked on it due to my HDD dying on me :( but now that I'm back on track I will be continuing with my progress which I will be posting on here in the weeks to come, so if you are still interested in seeing it stay tuned!
The Walking Dead has finally started back up again! and what a start it was! things have taken a turn for the worst for all parties involved, very interested in seeing how the last part of the season unfolds! I won't say too much for obvious reasons.
DmC was finally released, it has gotten a great reception from critics and fans, it reached number 1 in the charts, which I'm very proud to say.
Metal Gear Revengeance has finally been released, I have been playing the hell out of the game,overall I'm very satisfied with the game. I will be doing a small review soon for some of you who are interested in reading my opinion of the game.
Lastly I will be getting back to finishing off my multiplayer map, it has been sometime since I worked on it due to my HDD dying on me :( but now that I'm back on track I will be continuing with my progress which I will be posting on here in the weeks to come, so if you are still interested in seeing it stay tuned!
Tuesday 1 January 2013
2013
Happy New Year!
I hope you all have an eventful and successful year ahead, this year will be filled with great games,films and TV shows so get ready!Thursday 20 December 2012
Dark Souls 2
Dark Souls 2 was announced last week! which included a CGI trailer (which can be found below) showing the new games setting & main character. Since then information has been trickling out. Recently Kotaku posted an interview from Famitsu magazine with Tomohiro Shibuya (new producer) & Hidetaka Miyazaki supervisor (original creator) to reassure fans that they will still stay true to the Dark Souls ethos.
The first Dark Souls was my game of 2011 and also in my top ten games of all time, I got lost in the mystery of Dark Souls and kept coming back for more even after dying the 100th time. The game teaches players to be cautious, being on guard with every step you take during your adventures in this hostile world.
The first Dark Souls was my game of 2011 and also in my top ten games of all time, I got lost in the mystery of Dark Souls and kept coming back for more even after dying the 100th time. The game teaches players to be cautious, being on guard with every step you take during your adventures in this hostile world.
I'm sure many of you have had mixed views of Dark Souls 2, but until there is more information we cannot really say much else. Even though the new producer wants Dark Souls 2 to be more direct in terms of the story, the gameplay will stay intact with some welcomed improvements and a sever based multiplayer component! thank god!
Full Kotaku post can be found here:
Monday 19 November 2012
The Time Has Come!
Its finally time for you guys & gals to get a taste of what DmC is all about. Enjoy it and remember, always mix it up!
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