BR4DL3I9H

I have never completely understood why people get so up in arms about reviews, postive or negative. Do people really need a every review to match their opinion, even for a game that they have yetto play? I would find that boring. I mean, if i read a review that i don't agree with it doesn't mean the review is bad, it just means that someone else had a diferent experience. I can look to that to make a more rounded opinion. I definitely tend to find that older gamers don't have the same reactions as much, maybe it is because we didn't grow up with the internet giving us 1000 reviews. We had 1 Magazine, maybe.

For the most part i love living in another country - the language, the culture and the food are just some of the wonderful things i get to experience. There are some elements that cause me concern though, such as videogame purchases.

To buy games i can do so one of three ways; first i can simply buy them from a regular Japanese store, but this can be risky as not all games have English options, however with some research i am able to find the ones that do, but the other problem with this is that it is much more difficult for newer games due to the lack of information. My second option is to visit an import store, and this option is my current preferred method. The benefit of visiting these stores is that i can pay in cash, i can guarantee that my purchases have English options and i can choose which country's version to buy. My third option is to buy online. This is the easiest option but the games take around 2-3 weeks to arrive, but on the other hand i can choose which country's version to buy.

Now, back in the UK my go to console had always been the Xbox 360 despite owning both the Xbox 360 and the PS3. Whenever a mulitplatform game came out i was sure to buy it for the Xbox 360, but i won't go into details as to why but lets say i have a few good reasons.

After living where i am now for about 8 months i decided to once again get back into gaming. A frenzy of research and information gathering led me to understand that the PS3 would be my best choice; the Xbox 360 is dying in Japan and the PS3's region free capabilities didn't limit me to the shelves of a Japanese video game store. So that was simple.

There is another problem though, and one that i hadn't anticipated or thought hard enough about to realise; DLC and online access is changing. I bought Resistance 3 in a Japanese store but i am limited to using my Japanese account as i must use an online passcode to play online, which ultimately locks me out of getting certain trophies. If this were a one off i wouldn't be so bothered, but with Batman: Arkham City and Uncharted 3 all using this same system it has become clear to me that simply having English isn't enough anymore; i have to do extra reason now to check for the online components. I am not happy with this new way forward but i understand why companies are doing it, and so this means that i just have one more thing to do before buying a game. Uhh....Oh well.....

My issue with this is far removed from what most people seem to be upset about. I live in Japan but i am originally a Brit. When i came to Japan i bought a PS3, with the beauty of the system being completely region free, knowing that a simple purchase of an import game, or sometimes a Japanese game, if it supports English as well, will be all i need to get my gaming fix. Then last month i put in my Japanese copy of Resistance 3 only to find that i need to redeem a code that can only be redeemed with a Japanese account, which esstenially meant that any online trophies that i wanted to get would be impossible to achieve on my UK Account. Now the idea that i will somehow have to find a way to get UK copies of these games at a much higher cost really makes me upset. What ever happened to the games where you buy a game and then it's yours to do with what you wish? So with this and Uncharted 3 doing the same thing i am just about ready to give up.

It is refreshing to see a game coming out that isn't announced 12 years in advance.

I am sorry but even though i am enjoying the hell out af dead island the story is meh. The only decent thing about the story is the tape recordings, and they are entirely missable. I don't understand the logic behind this; sure, the trailer was incredible and very moving, which is saying a lot for what the game actually is, but turning that into a movie. Seriously? Are you serial?

Aside from all the glitches and other annoying bugs i really am having a great time with this game. The one thing that really annoys me though is the lack of a decent story. Granted i am only on the 3rd act and haven't completed it yet, but the story is predictable and cliched to hell. However, the recording drops seem to do a nice job of describing another persons experience of what is happening. I am enjoying them a lot more than the main quest's story. What do other people think?

I am enjoying Dead Island. The glitches sometimes make me want to headbutt a puppy though, i mean my arms aren't moving but the zombie is losing hp? I guess it must be that progressive new zombie related virus going around. Nasty shit that. I am digging it overall though. I definitely think there are a lot of reasons to explore more too. There are some hidden treasures in this game. Does anyone else think that the tape recordings actually add more tension and feeling to the game than the main plot?

As for losing interest, I know what you mean. I am really looking forward to some games but then playing another FPS, even one that looks as good as Battlefield 3, doesn't get me that excited anymore. I still look forward to them, but not in the same way i did 5 or so years ago.

I have really gotten back into play games recently. For a long time i didn't play many, well, i say long time but what i mean is a long time for me, AKA a few months. During that time away i would still read about games, watch videos about games and generally be involved in a lot of aspects of gaming. All except for the physical act of putting a controller in my hands and mashing some buttons. That has all changed though.

I picked up Dead Island and Resistance 3 a week or so ago and i have to say that i really am enjoying both games. Resistance 3 has an epic story and the scale just feels huge. I often find myself turning off all the lights, getting a hot drink and some snacks and putting on my headphones, which by the way are nothing fancy it's just that i live in an apartment with extremely thin walls and if i don't wear headphones then it kind of takes me out of it. There is nothing quite like a dramatic build up in a scene only to hear a few people chuckling next door to what must be some of the funniest shit that they have ever seen. Ever. The story is engrossing and i was hooked. I don't get hooked that easily either.

Dead island on the other hand is a different kind of experience for me. The noises that those ungodly things make give me the chills but it sort of feels like they are running around with radios that are connected to their health bars than sounds that they are making naturally. Let me explain. When i first played this game i would feel a chill everytime i heard those noises. I would put my back to corner and then scan the horizon for those foul demons, gaze my eyes upon them and then let them see my limited-edition, signed baseball bat customed fitted with a battery. And it felt good. Actually, even now it still feels satisfying to kill those suckers. The feel of the weapons are great and they handle like i think they would, i mean what i assume they would feel like if i were to attack someone with say, a boat oar. Also, this game is best played with the analogue setting on. I am a little surprised that they made the digital option the default and it is a shame that people who don't read gaming websites will never know the other option is there. Anyway, i am moving away from my point. The sounds they make is so canned. If they are nearby they make a noise, if they are not nearby they don't make a noise. Simple, righ?. Except the sound has basically become a warning sign for me more than a way of instilling fear. If i take out a group of 5 zombies and they are all on the floor i walk away smug in the knowledge that i just took out a bunch of zombies with brassknuckles. Yeah, i'm bad. Then i get 2 steps and hear that groan. oh, one's left. Scour the floor, ah, health bar. L2. Brain crush, No sound. Walk away. Job done. The fear isn't there anymore, even with the lights out. Maybe it is also because there are so many of them that i hear the sound too much so it has lost it's impact. I always imagined zombie groans to have a similar effect to when the military play loud music to detainees or to drive people in hiding to the break point, meaning creating the sense of fear and disorientation would make me always twitchy. That isn't the case sadly. If this game is anything like what a real zombie outbreak would be like then i am sure that i would have no problem being in a house with those things singing outside. Also, i would totally be that idiot who is like the 3rd person in the world to get bitten because i was helping up that poor person by placing my neck on their mouth for support. Don't get me wrong though, i am still enjoying the hell out this game. It has a big expansive world, a wonderfully enriching crafting system, even if i somehow need to get a schematic or blueprint to figure out that a baseball with nails is a good idea, and a combat system with a nice amount of feedback. It is well deserving of those 4 stars that i see it earning from people.

I am looking forward to the other gems that are coming out this winter season. I don't have the time or money for all of them but i have my eye on a few. For now i still have a world to save and an island to escape from.

Can you speak or understand Japanese? If not, then are you comfortable playing games that have a lot of Japanese in them?
 
Personally, i avoid JRPG's because i am unable to follow the storylines that well, but hey, that's me. 
 
Oh, and i might bump into you at TGS!