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danielkempster

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Well, It Is A Website About Video Games...

By danielkempster 11 Comments

Hey guys! This blog, I figured I'd focus more on the games (what with this being a games site and all). So I have some demo impressions to share with you all, followed by an update on what I've been playing recently. 
 

Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 Demo Impressions

I've been a fan of the Pro Evolution Soccer games more or less since the franchise's inception. I own and have extensively played every instalment in the series, both alone and in the company of friends. As such, I feel like I'm a pretty good candidate to provide some opinions on the demo of the latest iteration (Pro Evolution Soccer 2010), which hit Xbox LIVE last week. Instead of writing up an extensive mini-review, I'm going to stick with simple pro and con bullet points just like I did when I played The Lost & Damned. In fact, I think I might make this a regular occurrence with anything I download from LIVE, whether it be a demo or DLC. 
 

YES

  • Improved player control - One of my biggest issues with PES2009 was the rigid player control, which seemed to be stuck in eight planes. This feels like it's been addressed in PES2010, because players seem to be a lot more manoeuvrable. It's not 360-degree dribbling by any means, but it does give a great deal more freedom and, for the first time in the series, makes the analog stick feel like a more viable control option.
  • Better off-the-ball movement - AI-controlled players seemed to have a little more sense of spacial awareness than they did last year. Off-the-ball, players appeared to be better at looking for and getting into space, which made the execution of attacking moves (particularly counter-attacks) feel a bit more intuitive than it has been in the past.
  • Improved visuals - Maybe it's just me, but the game seems to be a big step up on last year from a visual standpoint. Player likenesses are much-improved, and the stadia seem to look better as well. Everything and everyone looked a little less... plasticky, I suppose.
  • Better loading times - One thing I did notice was the practical absence of a loading time when transitioning from the pre-match settings menu into the match itself. I don't know if that's just because it's a demo, but it was nice to get straight into the action without any annoying transitional screens.
 

NO

  • Awful presentation - The menus in this demo version of the game are simply hideous, even more so than last year in my opinion. The pre-match settings menu is nigh-on unnavigable. I think that the developers hit on the right menu aesthetics with PES4's crisp, clean menus, and it's a shame to have seen them take so many steps back since then. In the demo's defence, though, the actual formation settings screen looks better than it's ever done. Swings and roundabouts, I guess.
  • No Post-Demo Information - Normally, when you finish playing a demo, a few screens will pop up telling you what extra things to expect from the finished product. PES2010 had none of these, which leaves me rather unsure as to what improvements might have been made off-the-pitch. Are there any tweaks to be expected for the Master League and Become A Legend modes? I guess we won't know until the full game hits. 
 
I think that just about covers all my opinions. By and large, it feels like a new Pro Evo game, which is fine in my book because I've never expected Seabass' development team to re-invent the wheel. I probably won't be picking it up on release, but that's more to do with money issues than because of any beef I had with the demo. Plus, I'm still pretty engrossed in last year's entry. I'll definitely be picking it up at some point in the next twelve months, though.
 

Progress Update

I've been playing a few games recently. Here's a quick update on what's going on with everything I currently have on the go. 
 

Lost Odyssey

JRPG combat has never gripped me like this 
JRPG combat has never gripped me like this 
I've been having a hell of a lot of fun with Lost Odyssey. I've just moved on to Disc 3 with my party's average level at 31, and I'm absolutely loving the game. In particular my praise has to be directed at the game's gripping combat, which has hooked me in a way that I haven't felt since I played Final Fantasy VII for the first time nine years ago. The sheer level of strategy that goes into any given battle is immense. Being able to switch rings and accessories on the fly keeps things interesting, and the implementation of the Guard Condition system adds a whole new layer to depth to what could otherwise be dismissed as yet another game with turn-based random encounters. The game has some seriously amazing boss battles, too; personally I'd go as far as to say the best boss battles of any JRPG I've played to date. Away from the combat the game holds itself together well, with gorgeous visuals and some surprisingly good voice acting for a Japanese import. The story is surprisingly engaging too thanks to the presence of the Thousand Years Of Dreams, which are so well written that a couple have almost moved me to tears. The pace may be a little on the slow side, but after spending well over a month in the company of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, it charges along by comparison. I can't wait to pour more time into this incredible JRPG, which I genuinely believe is the game I've been waiting for ever since I finished Final Fantasy X.

Pokémon Yellow

Pika Pika! 
Pika Pika! 
A bit of a strange one, this. At the start of September I felt myself hankering to play a first-generation  Pokémon game. Having never really given it a chance due to my loyalty to the Blue version, I decided to give Pokémon Yellow a spin. I'm really glad I did. With the ability to pick up all three of the original starter Pokémon from Red and Blue over the course of the game, combined with the slightly steeper difficulty curve, it felt like a more complete experience. I ended up training a team consisting of Pikachu, Venusaur, Charizard, Blastoise, Sandslash and Hypno, caught a total of eighty-four different kinds of Pokémon, and managed to best the Elite Four after forty-five hours of gameplay. At some point in 2007 I played through Pokémon LeafGreen, and while it was a pretty faithful reconstruction of the original games, it didn't have that charm that accompanies nostalgia. Thankfully, that was something the Yellow version was able to deliver. The limited colour palettes, the primitive audio, the original translation... There's just something about the original GameBoy games that can't be replicated in a remake. Playing Yellow has rekindled my appreciation for the franchise, and has encouraged me to check out a game in the second generation of the franchise. Given how complete Yellow felt as a package, I'm feeling inclined to go with Crystal in the hope it will deliver the definitive second generation Pokémon experience.
 

Forza Motorsport 2

Must... Get... 100%... 
Must... Get... 100%... 
I have very mixed feelings about this. I think Forza 2 is an incredible game with a hell of a lot going for it. It looks amazing, it plays really well, and offers just the right mix of racing and customisation that I've come to expect from the personally-dubbed 'car porn' subgenre of racing simulators. It offers a range of different difficulty options, ensuring that anybody (even someone as terrible at racing games as myself) can have a good time with it. On the other hand, though, I hate Forza 2 with a passion. As with every racing game that's come before it, and almost certainly every racing game that will come after it, Forza 2 has an uncanny ability to stimulate the part of my brain that secretes completionist hormones. In layman's terms, Forza 2 has a hold on me that won't loosen until my game completion percentage reads 100%. The presence of achievements makes matters even worse, because I know that completing all the races and achieving that 100% statistic would net me a substantial amount of Gamerscore and probably turn Forza 2 into my first A rank on Giant Bomb. With my current driver level at 46 and my percentage sitting at a solid 84%, I know my quest is nearing an end. It's going to be one hell of a grind getting there, but I intend to make it to the summit of this mountain before the year is out.
 

Pro Evolution Soccer 2009

Building a team of winners is hard work 
Building a team of winners is hard work 
I picked this back up a few days ago after playing the demo for PES2010 (see above) and realising that I still had a lot to do in last year's iteration of the franchise. Despite spending a lot of time with the game, I seem to have achieved next to nothing. The Master League, usually my sole dominion in the world of Pro Evo games, remained worryingly untouched. So does the new Become A Legend mode, and I haven't even won any of the leagues or cups. I've vowed to change this situation, and I've finally started a serious stint in the Master League. I also intend to win a few of the domestic leagues before my time with the game comes to an end. With money the way it is right now, I probably won't be looking to pick up PES2010 until it drops in price to around £20, meaning I probably have a good six-to-nine months left with PES2009. That's plenty of time for me to achieve what I want to, and hopefully earn something to show for all my time spent with the game.

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I think that just about covers everything for now. For those of you who read on a regular basis, I'm sorry about the somewhat sporadic nature of the recent writing. Rest assured there's a lot of content to come. I've got two or three pretty heavy blogs sitting in the back of my head, along with a concept for a serial blog that I'll most probably follow up on. In the meantime, thanks for reading guys. As ever, I'll see you around. 
 
 
DanK 
 
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Currently playing - Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 (X360)
11 Comments

Rapid Update In A Train-Of-Thought Stylee The Third

By danielkempster 2 Comments

Hey guys. It's been a long time since I last blogged (nearly a month, in fact), and for that I apologise. I've been busy with a lot of stuff, as you'll discover should you read this. Given I have a lot to say but don't really want to drag it out over three or four blogs, I've decided to revive the Rapid Update In A Train-Of-Thought Stylee for a third instalment. I've set myself the time limit of forty minutes to get all this down, so without any further hesitation... 

  •       I'd like to think we look pretty good together
          I'd like to think we look pretty good together
    First, I'll clear up the reason for my prolonged absence. I've spent the last two weeks with my girlfriend at her parents' house in Windsor. It was her twenty-first birthday on September 17th, so I was invited to go back with her to celebrate. To mark the occasion we did loads of stuff - we went to Thorpe Park for the day on her birthday, and two days later her family had a massive barbeque get-together. Both were awesome and I had an incredible time. It was nerve-racking meeting more of her family, but they all seem like great people. We moved back into our flat in Essex on Wednesday, and things are continuing to go really well. 
  • Of course, my two-week stint in Windsor meant that I was separated from my Xbox 360 and PlayStation 2. As a result, I haven't really played many games this month, meaning both Lost Odyssey and Forza Motorsport 2 have fallen by the wayside a little. I intend to pick both back up very soon, as well as trying to get back into Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 (I have yet to pour any significant amount of time into the Master League mode).
  • One thing I did manage to do whilst in Windsor was play through Pokémon Yellow. I've been investing an hour or so into it every night for the last month or so and I beat the Elite Four late last night. I intend to capture Mewtwo before I actually call it a day with the game, but I've had a lot of fun revisiting a piece of my childhood. It's also given me an urge to play through games from the second and third generations of the franchise, which up until now I've never actually finished. With HeartGold and SoulSilver not too far off, now might be the perfect time to pick up a new DS Lite and actually play that old copy of Emerald I have lying around somewhere.
  • While in Windsor, I also lost my Wii virginity. My girlfriend's parents own a Wii and I was invited to join them in playing some Wii Sports Resort and Rayman Raving Rabbids 2. While it was a pretty fun night, I think that was more to do with the company than the games themselves, and I'm not particularly sold on the Wii experience. Then again, being a fan of story-driven single-player experiences, I'm not really the target audience for games like Wii Sports Resort. I don't think I'll be playing on a Wii again any time soon, but it was nice to finally experience it for myself.
  • Uni starts again for me in just over two weeks. I'm going into my second year of an English Language & Literature course and I can't wait to start again. I got my reading lists through for the Literature side of the course and I'm really excited about some of the stuff I'll be reading (especially Milton's Paradise Lost). The Language side is also looking pretty interesting, as I'll be focusing primarily on Phonetics this year. The fact I've recently rediscovered my love of writing fiction is another motivation for wanting to get started again.
 
I think that'll do for this blog. I apologise for the poor quality of the writing, I'm obviously out of practice. With any luck, I won't leave it so long before blogging again. Thanks very much for reading, guys. I'll see you around. 
 
 
DanK 
 
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Currently playing - Pokémon Yellow (GBC)
2 Comments

Moose & Dis: A Look Back

By danielkempster 8 Comments

It's been a bit of a rollercoaster ride here on the Bomb lately. I shan't beat around the bush - I'm talking about the controversial permanent banning of regular (and popular) GB users SuperMooseman and Disgaeamad. I'm not going to dwell too much on the events that have transpired, but instead I'm going to share a couple of tributes for both of these undeniably memorable members of this excellent online community.
 

SuperMooseman 
SuperMooseman 
SuperMooseman iss an all-round awesome guy. As a Wiki editor, he's been second to none in terms of the scope and detail of his contributions. In addition to his excellently-written articles, he's provided an additional service to the GB community by regularly using his Wiki powers to change page pictures by request. His blogs are just as well-crafted as his articles, and he also contributed in the form of guides; Moosey has written walkthroughs for both Spy Fox and The Curse of Monkey Island exclusively for the site, with Vinny describing the latter as "really nice stuff".. Renowned as something of a joker and a serial prankster, Moosey is famous for the construction of such elaborate stories as 00Sweep and Sweep & Hamz: The Early Years. Most recently, he masterminded "The Cover Up", and worked with other users to create the masterfully edited conclusion to this week's Question of the Week response video. His wicked sense of humour was not only restricted to the site - he is famous among the site's userbase for his unique presence in the Giant Bomb IRC, where he can still be found indulging in his favourite pastime of hustling.
 
Disgaeamad 
Disgaeamad 
Disgaeamad's on-site presence has always been felt but never explicitly in-your-face. He's made a substantial number of detailed contributions to the site's Wiki component, not least of which was his monopoly on the Touhou series of games. His blogs were infrequent but always an entertaining read, either because of their humorous nature or their thought-provoking content. It must not be forgotten that Dis was also one of the four figureheads responsible for Giant Bomb's first unofficially unofficial community podcast, Bomb Should Have A Face. Even now, he is an almost constant presence in the Giant Bomb IRC, where he can often be found "piledriving bitches". 
 
As these short paragraphs indicate, both Moose and Dis have been important parts of this online community since day one. I think it's important to think about them in this respect. While we can only speculate as to exactly what has occurred over the last couple of days, we can also be certain of their invaluable contributions to this website over the last thirteen months. Ultimately, above all else, it should be those things that they are remembered for. Thanks for reading, guys. See you around.
 
 
DanK 
 
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Currently playing - Forza Motorsport 2 (X360)
8 Comments

Swords, Cars, Pyramids & Dogs

By danielkempster 4 Comments

Hey guys. I've not got very long, but I felt the urge to blog, so figured I'd give you all an update on what's happening in my world right now. It's mostly game-related, but there are some other interesting developments to note as well.
 

In terms of its gameplay, Lost Odyssey is 100% old-school JRPG 
In terms of its gameplay, Lost Odyssey is 100% old-school JRPG 
In an attempt to cure another bout of the JRPG blues, I decided to start playing Lost Odyssey. I've been playing it for nearly twelve hours now and I'm completely hooked. In terms of both plot and gameplay, the game feels like the spiritual successor to Final Fantasy X that I've been searching for.  The storytelling is trademark Hironobu Sakaguchi, and as a result it feels more like a Final Fantasy than some of the more recent Final Fantasy games do. Kaim is a great main character, and the blatant use of the "amnesiac protagonist" cliché is offset by the beautifully-written Thousand Years Of Dreams sequences that it results in. I love the Skill Ring system, as well as the fact you can change rings on the fly. It brings some genuine tactical thought into the battle system, which feels incredibly well-balanced. There's also the levelling system, which doesn't appear to be truly experience-based but instead grants faster levelling when taking on stronger foes, and slows it right down when fighting weaker enemies. It's a system that appears to discourage the concept of grinding, while still ensuring the player doesn't fall too far behind to deal with future challenges. Battles are tough and require a great deal of planning, which is nice when compared to the power-level-X-mashing attitude associated with some other JRPGs. My girlfriend has also taken a great deal of interest in Lost Odyssey, albeit for slightly different reasons - she thinks Kaim is "hawt".
 
Forza 2 + mild OCD = countless misspent evenings 
Forza 2 + mild OCD = countless misspent evenings 
I'm also playing quite a lot of Forza Motorsport 2 at the moment. I've just hit 73% completion, I'm Driver Level 42 and I have over 2,000,000 Credits to my name. I don't know what it is about racing games, but they've always had a knack for bringing out the completist in me. Back in 2007 I devoted three weeks of my life to Gran Turismo 2 and completed the game's career mode 100%. Now, two years later, I'm feeling the same compulsion with Forza 2. The presence of race-completing and car-collecting achievements in the game certainly isn't helping, either. I've set myself the target of hitting the 100% mark before Forza 3 hits store shelves, which gives me two months to finish the rest of the races (less two weeks - more on that later, though). I also intend to do a fair bit of car-collecting before my time with the game finishes, to snap up some of those achievements. Which reminds me, does anybody know if changing your region gives you access to cars that can only be unlocked by hitting certain levels in that region? Any information would be greatly appreciated.
 
The Last Revelation may not have aged well, but nostalgia is a powerful motivator 
The Last Revelation may not have aged well, but nostalgia is a powerful motivator 
It's not all been about the Xbox 360, though. The third and final game that's been getting a lot of play time over the last few days is Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation. I've always had a soft spot for the Tomb Raider franchise. I even forced my way through Angel of Darkness a grand total of three times, an exercise that taught me the definition of pain. I really enjoyed the most recent instalments in the series, but lately I've been feeling the urge to return to one of the original games on PlayStation. Eventually, I gave in to the temptations of nostalgia and fired up the fourth game in the long-running series. First impressions aren't so hot, admittedly - the game hasn't aged well in terms of either graphics or gameplay. Thankfully, it's something that I seem to be able to overlook, as I can still appreciate the game for what it is. For a PS1 game it looks very impressive, with surprisingly detailed character models and environments. Unfortunately there's not much I can do about Lara controlling like a tank, but I'm slowly readjusting to it. I'm about two hours into the game, and I'm looking forward to getting further reacquainted with one of the games that contributed to my deeper interest in the medium that started around ten years ago.
 
This is Maya, and I can't wait to meet her 
This is Maya, and I can't wait to meet her 
In other non-game-related news, I'm still living with my girlfriend in our new flat near Colchester, and things are still excellent. It's her 21st birthday on September 17th, so we're heading back to her place for a couple of weeks next month to celebrate. I'm looking forward to meeting more of her family - her parents are really great people, so I'm sure the rest of her family are equally nice. Also, those of you who are long-time readers of this blog may be aware that my family lost our dog, Freckles, back in March. Well, a few days ago I received a phone call from my mother telling me that they've got a new puppy. Her name is Maya, and she's a ten-week-old border collie/Alaskan malamute cross. They sent me this picture of her and she looks absolutely adorable. It's a shame I'm not at home at the moment, because I'd love to meet her. I'm sure she's running rings round my parents and getting away with murder.
 
I think that'll do for now. Thanks very much for reading, guys. I'll see you around. In the meantime, I'm going to force myself through another endurance race... 
 
 
DanK 
 
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Currently playing - Lost Odyssey (X360)
4 Comments

Oddworld: Discovering Gaming Greatness

By danielkempster 27 Comments


As much as I love playing games, it does sadden me that the industry is driven on the back of shooters and sports simulations. I suppose that's why every now and again, I take a break from the plethora of generic consumer-pleasing games and indulge in something a little more off-the-wall. The latest example of this is my recent foray into the quirky realm of Oddworld. Over the last week or so, I've wasted a significant amount of my time playing through both Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee and its follow up Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus, bought on Steam in the form of the Oddworld Pack for the very reasonable sum of £8.99. After doing so, I highly recommend you do the same. The first two Oddworld games are a breath of fresh air when juxtaposed with comparatively stale modern releases. Here's why.
              
 Hey! It's that Abe guy!
 Hey! It's that Abe guy!
Both games are essentially the same from a gameplay perspective, and Exoddus picks up immediately where Oddysee left off, so I've chosen to evaluate them as a pair rather than individually. For those of you not familiar with them, the first two Oddworld games are a pair of 2D platformers where the emphasis of gameplay is focused on puzzle-solving. You play the role of a Mudokon named Abe, whose people have been enslaved by the greedy Glukkons and used as cheap labour. It's up to you to help Abe fulfil his destiny and rescue the captive Mudokons. It's a premise that sounds simple, but makes for some pretty complicated gameplay. 
 
Words are Abe's weapons 
Words are Abe's weapons 
The main reason I love the gameplay on offer in the first two Oddworld games lies in their employment of the utterly brilliant Gamespeak concept. Throughout both games, Abe has no weapons or offensive powers to his name (save for the odd rock or grenade, that is), meaning his most potent weapon is his own voice. Through use of Gamespeak, Abe is able to rescue his friends, possess his enemies, and solve the myriad puzzles he's faced with. The games' most memorable puzzles involve a healthy mixture of precision timing and elaborate manipulation of Abe's foes in order to rescue a band of Mudokons. While sometimes they can prove to be a little frustrating and arguably rely too much on trial and error, they're also incredibly rewarding. In fact, completion of these Gamespeak puzzles is more rewarding than anything else I've done in a game in recent memory. I'd even go as far as to blaspheme and say that in some cases they're more rewarding than nabbing a few difficult achievements.
 
Some of the game's puzzles can be fiendishly difficult 
Some of the game's puzzles can be fiendishly difficult 
This formula works well enough in Oddysee, but it really comes into its own in Exoddus where the range of creatures that Abe can possess increases drastically. In addition to Sligs, Abe can possess Paramites, Scrabs, Glukkons and even his own farts. As a result, the puzzles in Exoddus are a lot more varied. To top it all off, all of these creatures interact in different ways. For example, isolated Scrabs are a threat to Abe, but will attack members of their own species too. On the other hand, Paramites are more social creatures and can communicate with each other to co-ordinate attacks. Glukkons can command Sligs, and Sligs can command Slogs. These chains of command make for some great situations in-game, and really help to make Oddworld all the more believable. 
 
That's another reason why I loved playing through the first two Oddworld games - the self-contained Oddworld universe is unlike anything else I've seen in any other game. The world has its own inhabitants, its own races, its own heirarchies and its own history. It's like a really off-the-wall alternative to Middle-earth. It makes a welcome change from the same tired old scenarios involving zombies, aliens and terrorists. It's even charming, in a warped, ugly kind of way. Not just that, they're also two of the funniest games I've played in recent memory. 
 
Every creature has their own set of unique dialogue options 
Every creature has their own set of unique dialogue options 
Abe's Exoddus was one of the defining games of my childhood, so it was a pleasure to revisit it and finally get a chance to experience its predecessor too. As I said in the opening paragraph, these games are more than worth the Steam price. If you're tired of the same old story, finding yourself unenthusiastic about Modern Warfare 2 or disinterested in FIFA 10, then I recommend giving the first two Oddworld games a try. There really is nothing on the market like them anymore, which is a real shame. Here's hoping Lorne Lanning and the other guys at Oddworld Inhabitants see sense and return to the world of video games, because it's certainly a less interesting place without them. Now that my stint in Oddworld has come to an end, I have my sights set on getting into a new JRPG. I've narrowed the choice down to Final Fantasy VI, Dragon Quest VIII, Persona 4, and Lost Odyssey. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, as I'm terrible at making decisions. In the meantime, thanks for reading, guys. See you around. 
 
 
DanK 
 
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Currently playing - Forza Motorsport 2 (X360)
27 Comments

Old Endings And New Beginnings

By danielkempster 9 Comments

SuperMooseman 
SuperMooseman 
Hey guys. It's been quite a while since I last blogged (nearly three weeks to be exact), so I'm sorry for the recent lack of blogitude. Things have been pretty hectic the last couple of weeks, for reasons I will soon explain. I'd also like to apologise for my lack of presence on the Giant Bomb IRC in the last few months. Rest assured it has nothing to do with you guys. Truth is, I started having some very annoying problems with Firefox around May, so I uninstalled it and switched to Google Chrome. Consequently, no Firefox means no Chatzilla, so I've not been able to put in an appearance lately. I'm going to remedy this very soon, so keep an eye out for me in the IRC over the next week or so. In the meantime, a huge thanks must go out to SuperMooseman for keeping me reasonably updated and slightly less reasonably sane through Steam's in-built chat function. It's not like I've been away from the Bomb completely, though. I've been lurking, keeping up to date with all the latest editorial content and making a few Wiki edits, too (I just passed the 4000 point mark). But anyway, I digress. Let's get on to the meat of the blog - the games.
 
Time to explore Mournhold... 
Time to explore Mournhold... 
First things first - I finished the main quest of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind a few days ago. Not much I can really say about that other than it was pretty damn awesome. Despite the free-form nature of the game, I found it told a pretty cohesive and interesting story; Morrowind has got me much more interested in the lore behind The Elder Scrolls than Oblivion ever did. That being said, I think I'll have to return to Oblivion after I finish with Morrowind (probably after a short break from the genre). As a fantasy writer myself, it's a joy not only to see and read about this incredible fictional realm, but also to be able to experience it first-hand. What's surprised me the most, though, is that despite sinking eighty-plus hours into the game so far, I'm still not burned out on it. That's probably just as well, because I own the Game of the Year Edition that includes the Tribunal and Bloodmoon expansion packs, so I have a lot more content to satisfy my Morrowind addiction. I've just ventured into the city of Mournhold at level 43, and I'm really looking forward to exploring a whole new environment. With the island of Solstheim still to visit, it looks like I could be playing Morrowind for a long time yet.
 
Vice City Stories is a more-than-competent GTA game 
Vice City Stories is a more-than-competent GTA game 
I also finally got around to finishing the story missions of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories yesterday. I picked up the PlayStation 2 version of the game towards the end of 2007, looking for a fix of GTA to tide me over until the release of Grand Theft Auto IV in April 2008. I played it for about six months and got right up to the end, but never finished the final mission. On a whim, I picked it back up yesterday morning, finished taking over all the empire sites, and completed the last mission. Despite not looking as sharp as its brethren due to it being a PSP port, the game plays really well and offers an interesting alternate look at the Miami-inspired Vice City. To this day, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City remains my favourite game in the GTAIII canon, and it was really interesting to revisit one of my gaming history's most memorable locations.
 
Since the start of the year, I've been keeping a record of all the games I've finished (by which I mean, completed the main storyline/single-player mode) in 2009. How, you ask? Why, in the form of a Giant Bomb list, of course! In the last week, I've been able to add two more games to that list, taking the grand total of games I've completed this year to seventeen. Looking back over the list, it's amazing just how varied my gaming year has been so far. I've completed games that have been outstanding on my list for a very long time, such as Canis Canem Edit and Final Fantasy V. I've revisited old favourites like Grand Theft Auto IV and Shadow of the Colossus. I've also played a lot of games that I probably would never have touched were it not for the Giant Bomb community; games like Mirror's Edge and Soul Reaver 2. I'm really looking forward to seeing what the last third of 2009 has in store for me in terms of gaming. I probably won't be buying many new games, if any at all, but I'm sure I'll see the credits roll on a few more excellent games before the year is out.
 
Our new home 
Our new home 
It's not all about the endings in this blog, though. My life has also witnessed a pretty major new beginning in the last few weeks. Incidentally, that's also the reason for my lack of blogging activity here on the Bomb. On August 1st, I moved into my new flat with my girlfriend. We've been living together for two weeks and it's been amazing so far. As you may be aware from reading past blogs, my girlfriend is decidedly awesome and has become something of a games enthusiast in her own right. She bought a DS over Easter and is now hopelessly addicted to Animal Crossing: Wild World (although she'd never admit it). The other day she mentioned that she'd love to try playing Dead Space, which could be very interesting given how jumpy she was as a mere spectator when I played it earlier this year. We've also decided to make our next shared gaming experience Devil May Cry 3, so I'm looking forward to that.
 
I think that's about all I've got to say. Once again, sorry for the massive blogging delay. You may be pleased to know that I have a couple of interesting blogs lined up, which will hopefully see the light of day over the next week or two. In the meantime, thanks very much for reading guys. I'll see you around.

 
DanK 
 
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Currently playing - The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind - Game of the Year Edition (XBOX)
9 Comments

Spending A Summer In Vvardenfell

By danielkempster 7 Comments

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This blog contains some plot spoilers for The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Consider yourselves warned.


No Caption Provided

For those of you who are fairly up-to-date with my game-playing habits, you'll know that I've devoted the last six weeks of my gaming life to The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. I picked up a copy of the Game of the Year Edition for the Xbox quite a while back, and finally decided to pour some time into it over my summer break. It rapidly took hold of all my spare time, and now, I finally feel like I've spent enough time with the game to make a well-informed judgement on its quality in blog format. So, with great reluctance, at 1am, I set down my controller and pick up the keyboard and mouse to bring you this blog chronicling my summer in Vvardenfell.

City guards like statistics too
City guards like statistics too
For the stat-oriented among you, here are some interesting number-related tidbits to chew on. I've been playing Morrowind pretty much exclusively for just under six weeks now. Thirty-nine days, to be exact. In that time, I've clocked up 162 days on the in-game clock. While there's no on-screen timer to keep track of the exact figure, I reckon I've easily poured somewhere between sixty and eighty hours into this monster of a game. In that time, I've ascended the ranks to reach Level 32, and amassed over 45000 Gold. My voluminous (and very poorly organised) Journal currently stands at 271 pages long. From looking at the game's world map, I'd guess I've explored around 30% of the island of Vvardenfell. Large areas in the centre and east of the island remain unexplored. Countless caverns and Daedric ruins remain unplundered, and there are probably still more than a few backwater towns I have yet to discover out in the far reaches of the island. The additional content from the Tribunal and Bloodmoon expansions, included within the Game of the Year Edition as part of the main package, remains totally untouched at the time of writing.

Right from the off, you're free to be whoever and do whatever you want
Right from the off, you're free to be whoever and do whatever you want
What I'm getting at is, Morrowind is a huge game. From right off the bat, every feasible option is available to you. There's a main quest to dive into, several factions to join and work for, hundreds of caves and ruins to explore (and strip bare of their contents)... the list is endless. After a bit of deliberation I opted to create a combat-oriented character, and I spent my first few hours with the game simply exploring part of the island, getting acquainted with the game mechanics and looting any caves I came across. After I'd amassed a bit of money and bought some better equipment, I decided to get enrol in the Fighters Guild, figuring it would suit my character's playing style. After that I enlisted in the Imperial Legion, and I'm currently rising through the ranks of House Redoran. All the while my involvement with the main quest has been fairly constant, and I've just met with Vivec in his palace to discuss what to do about the whole Dagoth Ur situation. Despite doing all this, though (and spending so much game time doing it), I know I've only scratched the surface of what Morrowind has to offer. A wealth of magic and stealth-focused content remains unexplored purely because of my character's build. Not to mention all the parts of the island that I haven't ventured into and the unaffiliated free-form quests that I haven't been fortunate enough to discover. The game really is that big.

Because of this sense of total freedom, it's also a very daunting game. Having taken a retrograde leap backwards from the comparatively patronising open-world experiences offered by Oblivion and Fallout 3, I wasn't expecting Morrowind to literally throw me out into the world to fend for myself with little preparation, but that's exactly what it did. With only a few drakes in my pocket, a rusty dagger in my sheath and an obscure set of instructions unaccompanied by any kind of helpful guiding marker, I was dropped in the middle of Seyda Neen with the whole of Vvardenfell mine to explore. It took me quite a while to overcome the stupefication that comes with such a scenario, but after I'd adjusted and spent a few hours with the game, navigating its myriad options seemed to get progressively easier. It's by no means as intuitive as the marker systems in Oblivion and Fallout 3, but it is a lot more rewarding when things do work out, because you have the added knowledge that the game wasn't holding your hand.

Graphical hang-ups or not, you can't deny this looks pretty sweet
Graphical hang-ups or not, you can't deny this looks pretty sweet
I know a lot of people have a hang-up with Morrowind when it comes to the game's graphics. They pose no problem to me, probably because I'm still trapped in the last gen at heart. I also have an innate ability to appreciate a game's graphics within their own timeframe, even several years later, and while Morrowind certainly makes use of this ability, it certainly doesn't exert it. As a piece of technology, I find the game a marvel to behold. The fact that this incredibly detailed gameworld could be realised on a last-gen console, with this extent of graphical polish, is mind-boggling. The graphical style is reminiscent of the PS2 port of Half-Life, which I only got around to playing last year and still found to be more than palatable from an aesthetic viewpoint. The frame rate of this Xbox version can become a little choppy at times, usually when a lot of enemies (particularlymagic-users) are on-screen, but from what I've played the game almost always runs at a playable speed. One specific area I'd really like to acknowledge is the artistic style of the game's fauna. Creatures like the Guar, the Nix Hound, the Kagouti and the Netch all look great and show some real creativity on the parts of the game's designers, as well as helping to cement the individuality of Morrowind's self-contained ecosystem.

That's not to say I don't have any criticism to offer. My main problem with the game is the lack of variety in its quests. Maybe it's because I was playing as a combat-oriented character, but all the quests I performed for the Fighters Guild and Imperial Legion seemed to be limited to a small set of instructions: "Go here", "fetch this/that", "kill him/her". I obviously can't speak for the game's magic and stealth-focused quests, but Morrowind's side-quests feel mighty shallow when compared to Oblivion and Fallout 3. There's also the Journal, which after about fifteen hours of play ends up being a disorganised mess of jumbled quest notes. I understand it was patched in the PC version, but in the Xbox version the Journal is practically useless when it comes to quickly accessing long-dormant quest information. My final major complaint is levelled at the game's level of freedom, which is a kind of double-edged sword. While it does make completing a quest more rewarding, it can also make it much more frustrating than it needs to be. I'll admit I've been so stumped that I've had to turn to the Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages for assistance a few times, most notably when trying to locate that annoyingly elusive Dwemer Puzzle Box towards the start of the game's main quest.

Despite these shortcomings, though, Morrowind is rapidly becoming one of my all-time favourite games. It may not be as polished as its younger brother Oblivion and its spiritual successor Fallout 3, but in many ways it's a better game because of it. It offers more depth, more content, and more options to the player, and leaves it up to the player to decide what to do with them. In an age of quick time events, GPS mini maps and compass markers, it's almost refreshing to play a game that doesn't patronise me and instead leaves me to wander off and discover its many secrets for myself. Do I think Morrowind is a better game than Oblivion? I'm not going to even entertain the question. While I'm aware that leaning one way or the other will land me in hot water with a lot of fans, that's not the reason I'm opting to stay neutral in this argument. Morrowind is the deeper game, that much is obvious. Yet I think that without playing the more polished, player-friendly Oblivion first, I would have found Morrowind to be almost completely inaccessible because of that same depth. I guess I appreciate both games on their own merit, because of the things they do differently.

I think that about does it for now. It's 3am here now and I'm beat. Time to publish this blog and play some more Mor... I mean, turn in for the night. Thanks for reading guys, I'll see you around.


DanK

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Currently playing - The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind - Game of the Year Edition (XBOX)
7 Comments

Rapid Update In A Train-Of-Thought Stylee 2: Electric Boogaloo

By danielkempster 4 Comments

Hey guys. As you can probably tell, the whole "let's blog more regularly over summer" thing kinda fell through. Therefore, I'm going to treat you to a sequel to the original Rapid Update In A Train-Of-Thought Stylee blog from two weeks ago. I have about half an hour before I have to break for dinner, so here goes:


  • The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind continues to tighten its grip on me, so much so that I've pretty much given up any hope in playing any other story-focused game alongside it (attempts to do just that with Persona 4, Fallout 3 and Final Fantasy Tactics have all failed). DanK the Dark Elf is now Level 24 and has amassed an impressive array of Glass and Ebony weaponry that's currently on display in his house in Balmora. I'm currently tied up in the Fourth Trial, trying to get the three Great Houses to name me Hortator, although I keep taking regular breaks from the main quest to juggle part-time work for the Fighters' Guild and the Imperial Legion. After 100 game days, I've still not touched any of the Tribunal or Bloodmoon content included with the Game of the Year Edition. As a result, I think I'll definitely be playing this for quite a while to come.
  • As a keen cricketer, I've been following The Ashes over the last couple of weeks. I'm glad to see England take the lead in the series after their first win over Australia at Lord's in seventy-five years. That being said, I do think Andrew Strauss' captaincy was more than a little questionable on a number of occasions. Not enforcing the follow-on? Declaring and giving the Aussies two days to make 522 runs? Both very odd decisions. Yes, they paid off, but they also put England in very precarious positions. Where does all this tie in with video games, you ask? Simple - it's made me feel the urge to return to cricket video games, specifically EA Sports' Cricket 07. While I'm at it, I'm probably going to try and pad out that game's Wiki, too. It's looking a little bare, and I did a pretty good job with the last cricket-focused Wiki edit I spent a decent amount of time with.
  • Talking of padding out Wikis, I've decided to put some more time into Wiki editing in general over the next week or two. I have twelve days left to fill before exciting things happen, so I've set myself a target of 5000 Wiki points. I'll be looking to tidy up some of GB's popular Wiki pages with grammar and punctuation fixes and fleshing out a couple of really empty pages that could use some love. I urge you all to do so, too. One year on, a lot of the pages on GB are still pretty bare-bones. Let's get the community pumping more awesome video game knowledge into this website's vast database!
  • Moving on to those aforementioned exciting things that will soon be happening - On August 1st, I'm moving into my new flat in Colchester with my girlfriend. I spent the last week with her, and without realising it I'd almost forgotten just how totally awesome she can be. She's the main reason I was able to stick it out for the first year at University, making an otherwise unbearable group of flatmates seem like a minor inconvenience. I'm super-psyched about moving in with her for the next two years and can't wait to do all the silly couple-y shit like shopping together, watching TV together, and waking up together every morning. Ok, gooey romanticism ends here.
  • I finished my gardening last Saturday. On Monday, I made a bird table. My Morrowind addiction keeps telling me that relatively soon my Domestication stat should increase to 34.
  • I've started a serious darts practice program to try and get myself match-fit again by the time I move back to Colchester. Thankfully it's finally starting to show some results, and I'm getting back to the level I was at before I stopped playing. My finishing still needs a lot of work, but my scoring and general accuracy have really improved. When I move into my new flat, I'm hoping to get into a local darts team and play friendly darts on a Wednesday night.

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I think that'll do it. Thanks for reading, guys. See you around.


DanK

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Currently playing - The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind - Game of the Year Edition (XBOX)
4 Comments

Rapid Update In A Train-Of-Thought Stylee

By danielkempster 6 Comments

Hey guys. Just thought I'd let you all know that I'm still alive, and provide you with a brief update on the situation in the land of DanK. I have about twenty minutes spare, so I guess I'll just write whatever comes to mind in the time I have. Here goes:


  • I've developed an addiction to The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. I've been playing for 66 in-game days, and I've probably clocked up about thirty hours with it. I'm playing through with the character I outlined in my previous blog, currently at Level 19 with a couple of nice poisoned blades and a very nifty pair of stat-boosting gauntlets I found in one of the dungeons I looted. I've mostly been following the main quest, although I have been taking significant time out from it to focus on working for the Fighter's Guild and raiding the myriad caverns scattered around Vvardenfell. I've not even touched the additional content provided by the Game of the Year edition yet, so this could well keep me occupied for the next couple of months.
  • I decided to return to Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions on PSP after almost a year away from it (according to the save data I hadn't played it since September 27th last year) and I'm now determined to finish it. It still plays as well as I remember, although it's taking me a while to re-adjust to the steep difficulty and to get re-acquainted with the band of fighters I've assembled.
  • I traded in some games at Gamestation a couple of weeks ago. As much as I hate to do it, I'm in a really bad financial situation right now, so any money I can get out of anything is a bonus. All told, I got rid of fifty-three games for consoles including PS2, Xbox, Xbox 360, PSP and DS. Apparently they're worth £43.85 cash. Talk about a rip-off. On the plus side, the sale of those games has pushed me over into having enough money for my first month's rent. There's good and bad in everything I guess.
  • I got my exam results for my first year at University yesterday. I passed, scoring 2:1s across the board (and consequently a 2:1 overall). While it doesn't count towards my eventual degree, I'm really happy with the results and I'm looking forward to going back to Colchester for my second year.
  • Yesterday also served as a bit of a kick in the teeth in terms of darts. I went along to my local last night to meet up with my old team mates and play a few games of darts, and I don't think I've ever thrown quite so terribly in all my darting career. It's almost definitely as a result of letting my game slide and not getting enough practice over the last few months. It's certainly acted as a wake-up call, and has made me realise that I need to practise more if I want to keep playing darts at a decent local standard.
  • I've been gardening over the last week or so, helping out my next-door neighbours by digging over part of their front garden in preparation for the introduction of some lovely gravel. Now I'm having to sieve all the loose dirt to get rid of the pesky grape hyacinth bulbs that have multiplied to ridiculous levels over the last few years. Progress has been halted by a bout of crappy weather, but I'll no doubt be back on the garden tomorrow. Oh, and if I hear one more gold-panning joke, the person who tells it is going to walk away wearing my garden riddle.
  • I'm also thinking about tidying my room. Right now I can't even move in here. The place is cluttered with boxes following my move back from Colchester, as well as a drum kit, all manner of objects I intend to take along to a car boot sale in the near future, and various other bits and pieces I didn't even know we had (looks like my room was used as storage space while I wasn't around). My girlfriend is coming to visit next Wednesday, so I figured I'd better make the effort and make my room somewhat presentable. Speaking of which...
  • I'm moving into my new place with my girlfriend on August 1st. I went back into Colchester on June 28th to sign the contract and pick up my key, so it's all official now. I can't wait to move in there, and not have to worry about food going missing, or vomit in the shower, or fire alarms at 4am. Instead I can focus my attention on the things that matter: getting on with University work, finding a part-time job, and spending time with the person I care about. Also, it's about three minutes away from my pub of choice, so I'll have no excuse for not getting the aforementioned darts practice I so desperately need.

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Right, I think that's everything worth mentioning, as well as a lot of stuff that probably wasn't worth mentioning, but I've mentioned anyway. I'm off to make a ham sandwich to eat with some cheese and onion crisps and a Fanta Fruit Twist for my lunch. After that, I have a room to tidy. Thanks for reading guys. I hope you're all well. In the meantime, take care and I'll see you around.


DanK

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Currently playing - The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind - Game of the Year Edition (XBOX)
6 Comments

Learning The Definition Of Role-Playing

By danielkempster 14 Comments

Hey guys, and welcome to yet another of my blogs. As promised, I'm trying to keep them more regular and a little shorter, so consider this the first bite-sized chunk of my summer.


Morrowind's visual style is pretty... unique
Morrowind's visual style is pretty... unique
In case you didn't already know, I've decided to start playing The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (specifically, the Game of the Year Edition on Xbox). I poured around twenty-five hours into Oblivion earlier this year, and I was really enjoying it, but one thing seemed to hold me back. After gaining a few levels, I found myself struggling to keep up with the game's enemies, which seemed to be getting rapidly stronger (much more so than myself, at any rate). As they left me behind, rendering me unable to hold my own against them, I came to realise that I hadn't set out on my adventures in Cyrodiil with a real vision of what I wanted to achieve. Instead of thinking about what I wanted to do in Oblivion, I'd just charged in and tried to bolster as many stats as possible. I hadn't given any thought as to the role I wanted to play. Call me crazy, not knowing that I had to pick a role in a role-playing game, but that's genuinely what happened.

Truth be told I was probably just used to playing JRPGs, where the roles are often pre-defined and the player has nothing to worry about. Games like Final Fantasy IV don't offer any flexibility in a character's role whatsoever, giving them a fixed class from the start. Some JRPGs offer a Job system, but these aren't really that much more flexible in the long run. While they do allow you to put any character in any role at any given time, all the important decisions regarding stat distribution are made by the game on your behalf. In Oblivion and Morrowind, those decisions are up to you. Whether you want to focus on combat, magic or stealth, you have to organise the stat distributions of your character and ensure that they grow in the way you envision. That's a big responsibility as a player, especially when your decisions can effectively break the game and leave you stranded (just like I was in Oblivion). Thankfully, it's a responsibility that I'm now ready to live up to. 

Vvardenfell, here I come!
Vvardenfell, here I come!
Anyway, the point of that little aside is, I'm not going to make the same mistake with Morrowind. I've been thinking long and hard about what I want my character to achieve, and what kind of experience I want to get out of Morrowind. I decided I wanted to focus on combat, and on creating a strong character that could look after himself in the harsh environments of Vvardenfell. So after a couple of trial runs with default characters to get the gist of which stats do what, I've finally decided to settle down, create a finite character and start questing. My final character choice is DanK the Dark Elf (not a traditional name for a Dunmer, but we'll roll with it), a charismatic warrior-type with a penchant for enchanted swords and alchemy. My intention is to focus on creating a combat-oriented character, placing an emphasis on fighting, collecting loot to sell for cash, and brewing potions to keep me fighting fit.

In summary, my character sheet looks a little like this:

Name: DanK
Race: Dark Elf (I opted for this primarily to fit in in Morrowind, seeing as it's natively inhabited by Dunmer)
Sign: The Lady (Chosen due to the significant boosts it gives to Endurance (for carrying all that lovely loot) and Personality (to establish a better rapport with traders when it comes to selling said loot))

Class: Adventurer (the default name for the game's custom class)
Specialization: Combat (slice and dice first, ask questions later)
Favoured Stats:
  • Strength (selected to bolster my attack power and carrying capacity)
  • Agility (selected to increase my chances of landing successful hits in combat)

Major Skills:
  • Block (for defensive purposes in combat)
  • Enchant (I'll be using plenty of enchanted weaponry, so this stat will come in handy)
  • Alchemy (so I can concoct all manner of nifty potions for healing and stat-boosting)
  • Security (so I can get into those locked chests and rooms to pilfer extra loot)
  • Mercantile (this will help me out when it comes to getting good prices for my loot in shops)

Minor Skills:
  • Short Blade (one of two weapon types I intend to excel in during my time with Morrowind...)
  • Long Blade (...speaking of which, here's the other one)
  • Heavy Armor (to keep me safe in those tough combat situations)
  • Armorer (so I can repair all my damaged equipment and keep it in good condition)
  • Athletics (this should ensure carrying all that loot doesn't fatigue me as much as it could)

So there you have it - that's the guy I'm going to be spending the next month or two with. Without any further ado, I'm off to explore the land of Vvardenfell and seek my fortune. I'll keep you posted as to my progress, no doubt. In the meantime, thanks very much for reading guys, I'll see you around.


DanK

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Currently playing - The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind - Game of the Year Edition (XBOX)
14 Comments