Summer Bloggin'

I bought the first two games in this point-and-click franchise based on a recommendation from a friend. While I've installed them, I haven't got around to playing them yet. Supposedly they both boast pretty compelling stories, and as that's what I usually look for in a game, I'm pretty interested in getting stuck into these.

I have a long history with Dark Cloud 2, better known as Dark Chronicle here in the UK. The problem is, most of that history has been empty. I borrowed a friend's copy way back in 2004, got about twenty hours in and was absolutely loving it until he asked for it back. Now I've finally picked up a copy of my own, I'm looking forward to finding out how it holds up.

Deus Ex marks a seminal moment in gaming history for a lot of people. I am not one of those people. Still, as somebody who isn't put off by dated graphics and aging gameplay mechanics, I'm more than willing to give this a shot. I picked it up for PS2 late last year, and I think it's earned an outing now.

The Game of the Year Edition of Morrowind pretty much single-handedly stole my summer from me last year, as I spent well over a hundred hours over a two-month period traversing Vvardenfell. I was initially thinking about picking up Oblivion this summer, but I know full well that it would totally consume my summer, leaving no room for other titles. Instead, I'm going to pick Morrowind back up and check out the Bloodmoon expansion. I'm hoping the smaller map and fewer quests will scratch that Bethesda itch without claiming my entire summer.

Despite struggling to find things to like about the first Fable, I decided to take the plunge and buy the sequel earlier this year. I played a few hours of it and really liked the improvements to the formula - the streamlined combat system and seemingly more open rendition of Albion in particular. Final Fantasy XIII's arrival on the scene cut my time with Fable II short, so I'd be very happy to get back into it and continue developing my Hero.

There's not really much to say here. if this weren't on this list, I couldn't really continue Enduring Final Fantasy VII, could I?

Spending a significant amount of my February with Viva Pinata and Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts taught me one thing - I really dig the approach Rare have to making games. It inspired me to pick up a copy of their first 360 title, Kameo, which looks like a compelling mix between Soul Reaver and Majora's Mask. I don't think I spend enough time playing platformers and 3D adventure games these days, so it'll be very refreshing to leap into something where I'm not holding a sword or a gun.

Buying Mass Effect was a gamble. I've never been drawn in by the "space opera" genre, leaving me indifferent towards Star Wars and apathetic towards Star Trek. Nonetheless, I decided to take the plunge and ordered a copy about a month ago. The promise of an interesting story, well-developed characters and the RPG/shooter hybrid gameplay all make it seem like a gamble worth taking. Hopefully summer will reveal whether or not the gamble paid off.

This is the big one. I've been hyped for Red Dead Redemption ever since the first trailers started surfacing around a year ago. I ordered my copy from Amazon as soon as my exams finished on Thursday and it turned up in the post today. Seriously - it's sitting in my disc tray right now, and I've held off starting it just to write this blog. I hope you're all grateful. As a huge fan of Grand Theft Auto IV and just as passionate about Rockstar San Diego's last effort, Canis Canem Edit, my hopes are high, but not unrealistically so. I've tried my best to avoid discussion of the game on the forums over the last couple of weeks, with great success, so I'll be going into the game untarnished and fairly unsure of what to expect. I'm going to boot up my 360 as soon as I've finished this blog and start my adventures in the Wild West, so wish me luck!

Recommended to me by the same friend who suggested Broken Sword, Sam & Max seems like the kind of franchise I could really get behind. Wacky, irreverent humour, compelling point-and-click gameplay and charming 2D visuals make up this, the dog-and-rabbity-thing's first interactive adventure. I don't have the disc with me at the moment, so I'll have to pick it up when I head back to my parents' place, but as soon as I've got hold of it, I don't expect it to stay unplayed for long.

I bought the first two games in this point-and-click franchise based on a recommendation from a friend. While I've installed them, I haven't got around to playing them yet. Supposedly they both boast pretty compelling stories, and as that's what I usually look for in a game, I'm pretty interested in getting stuck into these.

I have a long history with Dark Cloud 2, better known as Dark Chronicle here in the UK. The problem is, most of that history has been empty. I borrowed a friend's copy way back in 2004, got about twenty hours in and was absolutely loving it until he asked for it back. Now I've finally picked up a copy of my own, I'm looking forward to finding out how it holds up.

Deus Ex marks a seminal moment in gaming history for a lot of people. I am not one of those people. Still, as somebody who isn't put off by dated graphics and aging gameplay mechanics, I'm more than willing to give this a shot. I picked it up for PS2 late last year, and I think it's earned an outing now.

The Game of the Year Edition of Morrowind pretty much single-handedly stole my summer from me last year, as I spent well over a hundred hours over a two-month period traversing Vvardenfell. I was initially thinking about picking up Oblivion this summer, but I know full well that it would totally consume my summer, leaving no room for other titles. Instead, I'm going to pick Morrowind back up and check out the Bloodmoon expansion. I'm hoping the smaller map and fewer quests will scratch that Bethesda itch without claiming my entire summer.

Despite struggling to find things to like about the first Fable, I decided to take the plunge and buy the sequel earlier this year. I played a few hours of it and really liked the improvements to the formula - the streamlined combat system and seemingly more open rendition of Albion in particular. Final Fantasy XIII's arrival on the scene cut my time with Fable II short, so I'd be very happy to get back into it and continue developing my Hero.

There's not really much to say here. if this weren't on this list, I couldn't really continue Enduring Final Fantasy VII, could I?

Spending a significant amount of my February with Viva Pinata and Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts taught me one thing - I really dig the approach Rare have to making games. It inspired me to pick up a copy of their first 360 title, Kameo, which looks like a compelling mix between Soul Reaver and Majora's Mask. I don't think I spend enough time playing platformers and 3D adventure games these days, so it'll be very refreshing to leap into something where I'm not holding a sword or a gun.

Buying Mass Effect was a gamble. I've never been drawn in by the "space opera" genre, leaving me indifferent towards Star Wars and apathetic towards Star Trek. Nonetheless, I decided to take the plunge and ordered a copy about a month ago. The promise of an interesting story, well-developed characters and the RPG/shooter hybrid gameplay all make it seem like a gamble worth taking. Hopefully summer will reveal whether or not the gamble paid off.

This is the big one. I've been hyped for Red Dead Redemption ever since the first trailers started surfacing around a year ago. I ordered my copy from Amazon as soon as my exams finished on Thursday and it turned up in the post today. Seriously - it's sitting in my disc tray right now, and I've held off starting it just to write this blog. I hope you're all grateful. As a huge fan of Grand Theft Auto IV and just as passionate about Rockstar San Diego's last effort, Canis Canem Edit, my hopes are high, but not unrealistically so. I've tried my best to avoid discussion of the game on the forums over the last couple of weeks, with great success, so I'll be going into the game untarnished and fairly unsure of what to expect. I'm going to boot up my 360 as soon as I've finished this blog and start my adventures in the Wild West, so wish me luck!

Recommended to me by the same friend who suggested Broken Sword, Sam & Max seems like the kind of franchise I could really get behind. Wacky, irreverent humour, compelling point-and-click gameplay and charming 2D visuals make up this, the dog-and-rabbity-thing's first interactive adventure. I don't have the disc with me at the moment, so I'll have to pick it up when I head back to my parents' place, but as soon as I've got hold of it, I don't expect it to stay unplayed for long.