My first and only iPhone game i have bought on release day was Secret of Mana at Christmas time. A classic and amazing SNES title that, for me, even now, i have many memories of playing in my youth. The free roaming combat, battle timing required when surrounded or when faced with 'that' boss that you forgot to upgrade your gear sufficiently at the shop, going back to fight baddies to obtain the level required to combat said difficulties, and so on. Classic RPG stuff. All these memories came flooding back, even when only partaking in a 20 minute session this evening. I am still in the early stages, just acquired Primm, and with Popoi also in tow, my adventure now starts to really begin all over again. The RPG ports for iPhone are pretty damn good too, and, at the moment at least, are more exciting than any of the new RPG's on the market (sorry, FF XIII fans, i just didn't get along with it). 

Okay, so this will not be news to anyone, but this achievement really does suck, due in part to users quitting, and the match being recorded on EA sports, but not towards the achievement. I'm currently on 156 matches, and no achievement. With no indication (without recording separately) as to how many were full, finished matches. Very annoying. 

Right, so i bought Dead Space 2 on the first day of release, something i have not done with a game for a long time, but as soon as i heard about it i had to have it. It didn't disappoint. Currently on my second play through on new game+ (still on Casual difficulty, after a bad experience on hardcore difficulty, decided to leave the higher difficulty levels. At least for now, anyway.), enjoying the new suits, upgrading all my weapons, etc. However, it has only just dawned on me that i haven't touched the multiplayer mode at all yet. As a gamer, i do try and experience the best games on offer, new or old, but i have to admit i'm a bit of an achievement hoarder also, so i was disappointed to discover that there are NO multiplayer mode achievements, although there are a few that can be obtained there. These are mostly aimed at the single player though. This is the main reason why i am yet to enter multiplayer, which i'm sure will cause frowns among many, but i feel there is a lack of incentive for me to do so. As you can probably tell from this, i'm not much of a multiplayer gamer (online anyway, except for FIFA), and i don't intend to offend anyone who is, just because of a lack of achievements. However, the biggest online games on Xbox all have them (COD, Halo's, Gears of War, etc), so i feel it's little bit of a missed opportunity. 

So i thought i'd try Dead Space 2 on hardcore, clearly underestimating how valuable it is to save in games today, as i only last till the train section where i am dangling upside down, after killing a few necromorph's, my weapon then went *click*. Fuck. Yep, i sucked at my first attempt. I was going to attempt with only 2 weapons and keep powering them up throughout the game - however one of the weapons of choice was to be the ripper, not obtainable until chapter 5, i think. 
 
What weapons did any of you guys choose? I figured using 2 would be best, so as to free up as much inventory for health as possible?

 So then, another great sequel hits the market. Make no mistake, the original Dead Space is excellent, and still well worth investing in, although not required before the follow up, courtesy, plot wise at least, of a recap video available from the title menu. 
  
Synopsis -  Dead Space protagonist Isaac Clarke awakes in the Sprawl,   a densely populated metropolis built on a shard of Titan, one of Saturn’s moons, with no memory from the last 3 years. He is, however, in the hospital, complete with strait-jacket, and subsequently released, which ties in perfectly to the story from Dead Space: Ignition, the XBLA/PSN puzzle game, told in a motion comic format. The Sprawl is now the latest location for the Necromorph outbreak, courtesy of the man-made Marker, which Isaac must again survive.  

Visuals - Improved on the original, and it's worth noting straight from the off that Dead Space now identifies Isaac Clarke   the man,   no longer just an engineer, but a character that can be related to. Any character/story development scenes are told as Isaac removes his helmet, with really cool, Transformer-like animation. So now we see Isaac Clarke's face throughout the game, with the modelled actor for each character also providing the voice, which brings a level of realism, and certainly believable enough character’s to empathise with.

Sounds – One of the best attributes of the original game, it’s more of the same in the sequel, if not better. Jason Graves’s soundtrack is fantastic – as haunting as any horror/thriller soundtrack can be. The voice acting is also very competent, and they bring a level of realism, and certainly believable enough character’s to empathise with throughout the game. The atmosphere created by the aforementioned soundtrack is that of tension, and you certainly feel it as you progress through the game. The different variations of necromorphs encountered during the game, such as Stalkers, for example, instil their own measure of fear and panic into the gamer, whether it be charging at you screaming, or spying from behind crates, making enough sound just so you know you’re in for a rough ride in a particular section of the game. Well worth turning the sound up/having surround sound for this one if possible.

Gameplay – The first Dead Space felt a little fiddly at first, especially when frantically trying to heal yourself in battle, for example. This has been remedied here – on Xbox 360 for example, this has been moved from ‘X’ to ‘B’, to use any healing containers currently in your inventory. Known as quick heal (there is also an achievement/trophy for using this 10 times); this mechanic is also used to replenish static charge in the same way, albeit a different button of course. It certainly feels a lot more natural this way, as does reloading your weapon, which is easier also.

This allows more concentration on the action at hand – of that there is plenty, particularly on the harder difficulty settings. It’s as frantic as the first Dead Space, in fact even more so, with a good variation of enemies, each with their own unique abilities and tactics, and at times prove to be very formidable foes, echoing the fact that you truly are alone in the Sprawl.

Overall – This game is what sequels are all about. Everything has been improved, the graphics, the sound, the story, the added bonus of the multiplayer, and all this does not detract from the core feel of the original, and what that such a good game. I don’t replay though many games, but I will certainly attempt the challenge of hardcore and zealot difficulty levels, the former only allowing 3 saves and NO checkpoints. In short, well worth the purchase, go get it!