It's been too long since I've last blogged about anything since I've either been busy with college or I'm in here improving the site to some degree. So huzzah! Over 5,000 posts so new blog is in order and this time I'm sober! :D
Unfortunatly I don't have much to offer considering the fact that my college exams start this Thursday so I haven't been playing much at all. I mean the last time I touched my PS3 was a few weeks ago if I remember correctly. So what have I been doing? Well whenever I had some free time I've managed to play with SWAT4. I've only started playing it now since it never occurred to me to try it before but boy oh boy that game is a total bitch to finish. But that's a good thing I think. It's got that same level of skull-fuckery as Demons's's's'ss's'ss Souls but at the same time it's fairly satisfying once you get things done right. But that seldom happens...
No quick save function. Randomised locations of suspects. Easy deaths. SWAT 4 HATES you. It hates you, your family and your dog. But despite these quirks I still love SWAT 4 the same way a woman stays with her wife-beating husband (it's not a great analogy but ya know what I mean!) It really is a unique game this. The team aspect,
"POLICE! REACH FOR THE SKIES MOTHERF-"etc. mixed with the SWAT procedures gives the game a nice smooth pacing occasionally rattled with the excitement of clearing rooms and getting shot at. There are however, some problems that I have with the game. Your SWAT team consists entirely of shitheads. I've never been to SWAT training but I'm pretty sure running head first into a storm of bullets nor getting in my way earned these fucking wizards an A grade. The terrorists/suspects are no better really. They've got lightning fast reflexes as opposed to the terrible aiming skills my character has. It takes you about three seconds to aim decently. That's all the time you have before you've had your fill of a 12 Gauge to the FACE. Still, SWAT 4 manages to be fun and addicting in a masochistic sort of way. If you're going to play this I'd wholeheartedly recommend that you get some friends to help you with Co-op 'cause this game is hard. Pro Tip: Saying "OM NOM NOM" as you saw off pieces of the ship is guaranteed to enhance gameplay value. PC gaming aside. I've been tinkering around with Patchwork Heroes on the PSP. To put it short, it's like Qix but in reverse. And I like Qix. Patchwork Hereos has you play as a little guy climbing around the side of ship saving your friends as you saw off massive pieces of a flying battleship. It's also one of the few PSP games that look good with it's fabric-like graphics and amusing characters. I just want cuddle it sometimes. :3 There's really a lot to say about this game but I'm going to save that for my review of this so keep an eye out for that. But just so you know, it's damn good.
There hasn't been much to do on the site really when it comes to the community recently so I've had an idea of organising some "Community Challenges". Basically I choose one game, set a goal and then see how many can achieve that goal. Problem is, I'm going to be a little busy and I can't think of any game in particular that would work well for this. If anyone else wants to organise this or give me some suggestions they're more then welcome to do so.
Speaking of which, I've made an official bugs list here concerning the website so throw some stuff in there if you've got any ideas.
Well that's my blog done. Can I go now?
2 Comments
This is just a list of bugs and issues on the website that I've found. Mind you, I'm just doing this to keep track of them in case the staff needs to know about them without the hassle. Hopefully, it'll be easier for them to fix these little mishaps. I will update this accordingly. Criticisms and suggestions are welcome.
Edit: I've had word from one of the mods saying that staff are aware of the bugs but which ones specifically I'm not sure. Regardless, I will continue to update this list until told otherwise.
Universal Bugs
These bugs and errors are known to affect everyone regardless of browser or OS they're using.
Inbox Bug - This OCD inducing bug incorrectly displays the number of messages you have in your inbox regardless of wheter you've read them or not. So far the best way to temporarily fix this is to select all of your mail and mark them as read or alternatively, delete all of your messages.
General Discussion Bug - Quite a recent one this bug. Whenever a topic is created and attached to specific forum (generally a videogame page), the bug reroutes the thread in question onto the General Discussion forums. Currently resolved by getting a mod to move the page onto the proper forums. Since it's pretty rampant it's suggested that the OP mentions which game they are referring to.
Text WindowsNot Expanding - I've just encountered this again which reminded me of it. Whenever you're writing on a blog or editing the wiki, if you type enough text into the window it should automatically expand. Except that it's not. Manually clicking and dragging the window fixes this for now.
ToC on Guides - Clicking on heading in the table of contents on a guide doesn't actually bring you to the right section. In fact, it does nothing at all.
ToC does not expand correctly - If the table of contents on a guide is too long the "Publish" and "Save" buttons would be pushed off the table rendering unreachable. No known fix yet.
ToC Dn'D - The drag and drop feature on the table of contents do not work at all.
User Ranking Broken - In the "Read more about me" section of your profile you may have noticed that that it reads your ranking out of 0 members. Obviously this is broken. No fix.
User Reviews Tab - The reviews tab on the review section of game page delivers a 404 Error. Clicking on the review button at the top of the site is the only way to get to user reviews for now.
Forums Search Broken - The search function for the forums is not working at all regardless of the forums you're searching in it yields absolutely no results. Possible fix suggested by ZombiePie (see post at below with images.)
Twitter - Twitter updates do not sync with account.
Uploading Images - Multiple images cannot be uploaded into the wiki body (though this works fine on the forums.)
404 - Clicking in the profile image on a member's profile page directs to a 404 page.
Errors & Mishaps
Not so much bugs but errors and mistakes around the site which can be fixed to improve the site.
Typo - The "Games Developed" and "Games Published" pages have a spelling error in the header. (See TMThomsen's comment at bottom of page.)
Can't Flag Polls - Seriously. I've been asking for this for months but I've heard nothing at all about this. I'm no web designer but how hard is it to implement this? Currently PMing a mod is the only alternative for now.
The technical kind that is. This is just a list of bugs and issues on the website that I've found. Mind you, I'm just doing this to keep track of them in case I needed to tell the staff about them. Hopefully, it'll be easier for them to fix them. I will update this accordingly. Note that these bugs and errors appear for everyone regardless of web browser or OS they're using. Criticisms and suggestions are welcome.
Inbox Bug - This OCD inducing bug incorrectly displays the number of messages you have in your inbox regardless of wheter you've read them or not. So far the best way to temporarily fix this is to select all of your mail and mark them as read or alternatively, delete all of your messages.
General Discussion Bug - Quite a recent one this bug. Whenever a topic is created and attached to specific forum (generally a videogame page), the bug reroutes the thread in question onto the General Discussion forums. Currently resolved by getting a mod to move the page onto the proper forums. Since it's pretty rampant it's suggested that the OP mentions which game they are referring to.
Text WindowsNot Expanding - I've just encountered this again which reminded me of it. Whenever you're writing on a blog or editing the wiki, if you type enough text into the window it should automatically expand. Except that it's not. Manually clicking and dragging the window fixes this for now.
ToC on Guides - Clicking on heading in the table of contents on a guide doesn't actually bring you to the right section. In fact, it does nothing at all.
ToC does not expand correctly - If the table of contents on a guide is too long the "Publish" and "Save" buttons would be pushed off the table rendering unreachable. No known fix yet.
Can't Flag Polls - Seriously. I've been asking for this for months but I've heard nothing at all about this. I'm no web designer but how hard is it to implement this? Currently PMing a mod is the only alternative for now.
User Ranking Broken - In the "Read more about me" section of your profile you may have noticed that that it reads your ranking out of 0 members. Obviously this is broken. No fix.
User Reviews Tab - The reviews tab on the review section of game page delivers a 404 Error. Clicking on the review button at the top of the site is the only way to get to user reviews for now.
We've got a DS list, a PS3 list and quite possibly, a 360 list. Since there isn't a PSP list I've decided to throw one together. As far as I know we don't have a Wii list that's up to date so I might make a new one later. Although I do own a Wii myself, I'm not terribly versed in great Wii titles so if anyone else is willing to make one, please tell me!
With the recent release of the PSP Go!, which eliminates the UMD and therefore you can only purchase the game on PSN, I'm going to split games into a two different categories, PSP games and PSN games. Games that are availiable on both retail and download are placed into the "PSP" section whereas games that are only availiable on the PSN Store are placed into "PSN". I'm going with this format for the time being but if anyone has a better idea, just holler.
Like any other list, this is a community run list so comments, additions and suggestions are welcome.
Update: Added some more games and included an import and upcoming section. Will reformat list later.
For a list of DS games, click here. For a list of PS3 games, click here. For a list of Wii games, click here.
With the rise of PS3 ownership lately I thought it was pretty important to compile a list of PS3 games that are exclusive or just great to play on the PS3. Hopefully, this list is enough to help new PS3 owners decide what they want to get and play. The games in the list come in of no particular order nor categorisation since a lot of games these days tend to blend genres in together. However, there are three different categories I will put the games in; "Exclusives", games that are only availiable on the PS3 system, "Multi-platform", games that fair better or just as well as their 360 counter-parts and "PSN", games that are only availiable on the PSN network (can include PS1 ports as well).
This is a work in progress list so don't expect everything on it for now though I will try do make this as quickly as possible.
This is a community list so if anyone has any suggestions or comments, please do so and I'll see what I can do!
Update: Added a Multiplayer section and added some other games. The multiplayer section is reserved for games that are primarily multiplayer, or focus on mulitplayer. Also, I think I'll give PS1 games a whole category of their own since it never dawned on me how much PSN games there were.
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of The Patriots - Mixing action and stealth in a cinematic style, MGS4 is the fourth and final chapter of the MGS series. Follow the footsteps of the legendary soldier, Solid Snake as he engages his final mission as he encounters old friends and foes.
Uncharted - Throw in Prince of Persia with the Tomb Raider series in big pot and mash 'em together and you'll get Uncharted. With the combination of running, jumping and gunning down enemies in beautiful and exotic environments, Uncharted follows the adventures of the likable and humourous protagonist, Nathan Drake as he travels the world for precious treasures.
LittleBigPlanet - If there's one game that you can grab and cuddle with, it would be LittleBigPlanet. This platforming game oozes with charm as you (the Sackboy) run around the custom made levels designed and uploaded by the LBP community. Feel free to create, design and play in levels of your own with the powerful and easy to use level designer.
Killzone 2 - Take the fight to the oppressive Helghast as you battle through gritty environments in this sci-fi based first person shooter. Technically impressive graphics and a strong multiplayer system makes Killzone 2 an excellent choice for most PS3 owners.
inFAMOUS - Life seemed normal enough for Cole McGrath, a simple bike messenger living in Empire City. Suddenly his life is turned upside down when he finds himself caught in a huge explosion that grants him a mysterious superpower that allows him to manipulate electricity. Explore the world in this third person open world action game as you use your powers for good or evil.
Valkyria Chronicles - Defend the borders of your homeland as you take command of Squad 7 under the guise of Welkin Gunther as they fight off the armies of the powerful Empire in the fictionl continent of Europa. Valkyria Chronicles balances itself between the genres of RPGs and tactical turn-based strategy with a engaging and tactical battle system dubbed "BLiTZ". Rendered in a beautiful cel-shaded style it tells an epic tale of how a small team did what they could do to defend everything that know and love.
Demons's Souls - Tough, brutal and unforgiving but rewarding. This dark-fantasy, action-RPG is a spiritual succesor to the King's Field series also developed by From Software. Fight demons and take their souls as you become stronger in an attempt to survive the inhospitable worlds inhabited by deadly monstrosities. Featuring a unique "note" system, other players on the Playstation Network can warn other players about upcoming dangers and monsters. Take on the demons in co-op play or go head to head in PvP.
Resident Evil 5 - Fight off hoards of the Majini and other monsters in Capcom's zombie survival shooter. RE5 follows Chris Redfield and his new partner Sheva Alomar as they journey through West Africa in hopes to eliminate the threat of bio-terrorism. Focusing on co-op play, RE5 relies on both playes to aid each other in an attempt to survive and stay on top of the dangers that lurk around the corners. With lots of guns and plenty of unlockables, RE5 is an enjoyable experience to play with or without friends.
Burnout Paradise - Though it breaks off from the usual formula of the Burnout series, Paradise still manages to retain the high speed explosive action that the series is known for. Set in Paradise City, players are free to roam the open world as they race, crash and shunt their way to first position. Free updates and plenty of DLC (including PS3 exclusives) make this an excellent addition to any games collection. Also available in retail stores and Xbox 360.
flower - More of an experince then a game, flower allows you to take control of the wind using the Playstation 3 SIXAXIS controller. Collect petals from flowers as you explore the lush and visually pleasing environments in this unique and soothing game.
Wipeout HD - Rendered at a solid 60FPS at 1080p resolution with Dolby Digital 5.1 support, Wipeout HD allows you to experience the thrills you weave through the twists and turns of the race circuit in a high speed anti gravity ship of the future. Futuristc race tracks and electronica soundtrack makes Wipeout HD a treat to both the eyes and ears. Further expand the game by purchasing the Fury expansion pack. This adds a new race campaign, three new game modes and a new "Fury" ship for every team.
Noby Noby Boy - From the makers of the bizzarre Katamari series comes Noby Noby Boy, a sandbox game that is just as strange and enticing. Players control BOY as they flounder about in a randomly generated sandbox filled with a plethora of objects and beings. There is no set goal but instead players are free to do whatever they want in the environment. A surreal and random content generation ensures that players are being constantly surprised in an already strange experience.
Siren: Blood Curse - A reimagination of Forbidden Siren released on PlayStation 2, Blood Curse is a horror adventure game that follows an American crew of documentary filmmakers as they travel to Japan to investigate a village which has "disappeared", only to find it's inhabitants transformed into horrific beings. Players control different characters in short chapters as they explore, survive and hide from the Shibito villagers. A unique game mechanic is that players can "sightjack" the villagers, allowing them to see what the villagers see.
Ahoy hoy fellow GBers! I just bought €50 worth of credit for PSN today but in my ever expanding realm of stupidity and ill preparedness I just found out that you can't get Castlevania: SoTN on PSN in Europe. ¬_¬ I already have it on my PSP and PS1 but I was hoping to play it on my PS3 on a bigger screen.
Anyway, I also wanted to know if there are any good games on PSN at all. Just for the record, I play any games really but I don't like multiplayer games at all, I don't mind mulitplayer as a side dish but as the main course I'm not entirely satisfied to say the least. I hate asking for help but right now I'm too absorbed in a 3000 piece puzzle to care.
In other news, I also bought Saints Row 2, Resident Evil 5, Red Faction Guerilla and a wooly jumper. This will be an interesting December, no?
Lastly, if anyone wants to buy Valkyria Chronicles I suggest you buy it now since they've stopped producing it, which is a shame since it's a real great game that's looks and feels great (despite the rather cliched plot overlapping a WW2 story dressed in anime colours). You could order it online but it's quite a hassle for some people. I got this game a while ago actually, I just bought another copy for a friend (who lives in a different country and can't even find it there).
Bottom line to this blog/question: Are there any good single player games on PSN? Thanks.
Edit: Already own Wipeout HD with Fury. Trine (on PC). FFVII (on PS1).
Oh no. 15+5. 4x5. 40/2. It doesn't matter how you put it, I'm twenty. 20! That's one year closer to the grave. I've already got silver hair, arithritiis and soon enough I'm going to look like a random bag of tits.
That aside, I've been playing a lot of old games recently. I've got Deus Ex running on Normal difficulty. So far I havn't killed anyone bar 2 NSF soldier\s who were standing
" I wanted orange! It gave me lemon-lime." a little to close a certain power generator that decided to blow up instead of shutting down like I hoped it would. Even playing through it for the 26th time, that game never gets old. Sure, the A.I. can't tell the difference between a homeless guy and a heavily augmented UNATCO agent, no one ever puts skill points into swimming, and we never got to see Hermann's mythical skull-gun. I plan on finishing it with minimum casualties as I always have been. I'm pretty excited for Deus Ex 3, hopefully it won't be terrible as Invisible War.
I've just finished Thief 2, one of my all time favourites. Who should've known that a game that involves you running around like Tiles. The #1 enemy for thieves. wuss, not killing anyone and nicking all of their shit is so much fun? No wonder people turn to a life of crime. Many years later, Thief 2 is a game that I still find immersive. The atmosphere, the story and the gamplay make it a rewarding prospect to fly through. Such choices could lead to wealth or ruin. Should you climb through the 2nd floor window or lockpick the backdoor? Complete the main objectives and flee or stick around for more precious loot? Either way, the game encourages replayability and that is probably the most successful aspects of the game. I just hope Thief 4 (or Thi4f as they call it) would live up to this game.
On the PSP I've gave Gran Turismo PSP a whirl. I've got to admit, that's a fucking smooth framerate Polyphony Digital managed to get on that little brick. The game's Pretty, but could be funner. pretty indentical to GT4 for the PS2. Of course, perhaps the biggest difference is the fact that there's no Career mode, the very hallmark of the GT series, gone. Instead, credits are attained by simply performing races or driving lessons so you can buy new cars to perform more races and earn more credits so you can buy new cars to perform more races to earn more credits so you can buy...etc. Speaking of cars, there is a LOT of them. However, much like the previous iterations of GT, you'll often find that there's over 15 (slighty) different models of the same car, primarily Japanese cars like the Nissan Skyline or the Mazda RX-7. It's just uncessary and silly. If that wasn't bad enough, you'll only get another 3 opponents in all the races. 3 measly opponents. Not everything is bad though, the cars handle a lot more differently then it did previously, it doesn't feel as stiff so it's easier to drift, which is pertty fun in the new Drift mode if you've got the right car. I could say a lot more but I highly doubt anyone's going to read this.
GTA Chinatown Wars teaches kids how to steal cars now. What next? Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars for the PSP. I just picked this up yesterday and damn it's great fun. It still retains the birds-eye perspective that it had on the DS version as opposed to the third person view that Vice City Stories and Liberty City Stories had. I'm glad they did, it had that retro feel to it that reminded me of the first GTA games. I can't decide wheter I like the main character, Huang. He's not a bad guy really (well he's an arse actually) but my main gripe is that he's an idiot. And I mean a proper total idiot. He doesn't seem to realise he's been taking advantage of but he does fuck all about it. Combat's a little fiddly but overall it's joy to play. Scratch cards, drug dealing and hotwiring are among the minigames that are found in the game that came over from the DS version. Some minigames aren't a great translation but it's sufficient enough to well in them. Much like the DS version though, you can easily make a lot of money from drug dealing, almost too easily.
So that's my recent life (not that you care). Shit that's big blog I wrote. It's funny what depression on your birthday will make you do.
Edit: I should mention that I've recently tried out Left 4 Dead with bots and I really enjoyed it. I don't have any friends on Steam to play it with but you think I should still buy it?
26 Comments
And the creativity it brings to the table. It's been a while since I've made anything so big, so why not make a cottage pie? I actually made two of these but I got bored with the second one so I decided to spice it up with some petit pois. What did it taste like? Rather salty if I'm honest.
(Sorry for the shitty quality of the picture, I had to use my phone and the other pie was getting a little too hot for it's own good).
15 Comments
Log in to comment