Too Many Games!

It's a strange thing to say that there are too many games. The sentence doesn't really make sense. Don't get me wrong I would rather be in this position than the polar opposite but the fact is that I don't have time to play the amount of qaulity games that are available at the moment.

Sorry Vaas, might give this one a miss...

Here I am, innocently browsing the web as usual and I'm being bombarded with ads and banners for Far Cry 3 (which I don't mind at all, I work in online advertising to I like it when the targeting works!) However the situation is impossible.

1. I buy Far Cry 3 and don't play it.
2. I wait and say to myself I will buy it in a few months when it's cheaper, but there will be another game out then anyway so it will get lost in translation.
3. I buy Far Cry 3 and I do manage to play it but it means Borderlands 2 or Assassin's Creed will suffer and they will be destined to sit on my shelf unfinished.

*le sigh*

The game looks amazing, I think I will end up getting it but that's another story altogether.

Legends

I am currently playing:
Darksiders II
Assassin's Creed Revelations (leading to Assassin's Creed III)
Minecraft and Tekkit
Borderlands 2

Sorry Chief :(

I'm going to miss out on:
Black Ops 2
Halo 4
Far Cry 3
Hitman Absolution
and probably more but I can't bear to look into what else I'm missing...


To be placed in a situation where the quality of product available is so high that you cannot consume all the content is bizarre. I don't want to miss out on these amazing games and I want to be involved in conversations with friends - so I ask you, which game should I be playing?

I have this ongoing joke that I'd quite like the games industry to pause for a few months so I can play catch up (and I don't actually want this to happen). Am I the only one in this position?

Are Midnight launches really any good?

I love going to midnight opening of a new game. There is something very exciting about literally getting your hands on a game the second it comes out whilst being surrounded by like minded individuals. It's not something many people admit to of course. For some reason it gets a bad rep for being too geeky and immature. The midnight launch is dying though.

Problem number one comes from ordering your game online. It's a stupid situation really. It's a well known fact that if you pre-order any game online that you will get it at least one day before it's official release. It is usually cheaper too, so where is the incentive for actually waiting and going to your local store (commonly known as Game or HMV). True, the stores do offer things like giveaways or exclusive extras and the flagship stores often give away some insane prize for being first in the queue.

I have been to a fair few launches in my time too. I remember dragging my girlfriend (now wife) to the launch of the PSP some time ago and my memory of this was not paying over the odds for an average games system, no. It is of nearly boiling to death because the store was so hot and they could not keep the doors open because drunk people kept wanting to come in ; it was awful. Plus I swear the stench of 40ish sweaty nerds put her off videogame stores for life!

Queues again! - Look Familiar?

I also went to the launch of GTA4 at HMV in Bristol with bunch of mates who were all buying it too. It was crap. We were first in the queue and after being left outside in the cold for 40mins we all went home and got online for about 10mins before we were all so tired we went to sleep.

Still, they haven't all been bad. I went to the launch of Kinect at a local Game and to be honest they handled it rather well. We all got a bunch of exclusive levels, they kept us occupied and tried to up sell us every game of course. But it was decent,  welcoming and they were efficient. Still, I don't know why I went though because I wasn't exactly going to crack open Kinect at 2am with work the next day.

I know that one of the biggest arguments here is going to be, "it's all about the atmosphere," and I get that, I really do but it is not enough.

I spoke to a friend about this and he said that game stores need to take a leaf out of the "Games Workshop" book. He said go along to one of the stores and see how much the staff live their product. He couldn't have been more right. In that store I knew nothing of the model strategy game thing, and the guys were kind and polite without making me feel stupid. They had kids buying new models, adults buying new paints and more importantly, there were some people actually playing the game. It wasn't a demo game where they kick you off if you're on it too long, it was a full blown 3 hour battle. People were going to the store to visit and have fun and (for all the business nuts) were actually buying stuff too.

Games Workshop - Business & Pleasure?

Imagine if Game or HMV were like this? I don't mean every day necessarily but if they set up a genuine care for their product and I do not mean the extended 3 year warranty they try and latch on to everything. It could be so much more. What do you guys think? Maybe there's more to it than I know.

The Yogscast

Another week passes and I haven't really played any games again. I keep meaning to but then remember I have to sleep :S

I find that it's difficult to drop in and out of some of the big games that come out. I'm almost certain it's a common thing because who wants to play Dishonored for 10 mins? It takes you that long just to work out where you are and what you were doing.

Instead I watch a bunch of videos from The Yogscast. These guys are based in Bristol and essentially, they play games and talk about them - just like anyone does. However, they have specialised in Minecraft videos and have an ongoing semi-improved series that they build a custom world and then go through a story - it's amazing. Here is episode one (takes about 7 episodes to get going):

Simon & Lewis are the main people you will get used to hearing, I don't think it is any secret that Simon carries the series because his improv and playing style is perfect to watch. He sucks at jumping as well and it's bizarrely satisfying watching him fall. They have a big team in place including Hannah, Sips, Sjin, Duncan, Martyn, Nilesy and so on. They are living all our dreams by just playing games. Playing them, talking about them and playing them some more! (I know there's more to it than just this!)

There are two things here really. One, I watch YouTube more than I watch television these days and two, rather than spend my time playing games, I watch other people pay games. I can't even work that one out...
I look forward to seeing their uploads much like waiting for a new episode of a TV series. Their latest mega series "Tekkit" is on episode 50 (ish) which means the duration is over 6 and a half hours (ish). That's just insane.

Simon has also been making some friends as their latest video features everyone's favourite dwarf, Warick Davies.

This is so odd. Actor Warwick Davies being interviewed by a guy who plays videogames. IT IS AMAZING!

If you can spare some time I would seriously reccommend checking their videos out because there are thousands of them across several channels. It's not just Minecraft either. They have previews of games yet to be release and reviews of game trailers for things you thought should never exist - just check out their coverage of the trailer for Scania Truck Driving Simulator!

Anyway, this counts as gaming. Don't try and tell me otherwise!

Assassin's Creed Omnibus

I'm getting pretty psyched about Assassin's Creed III. I remember picking up the first game when I was at Univeristy and playing the damn thing to death. I would have 1000G as well if I hadn't got the damn flag glitch. I also played the second pretty quickly, got that one for Christmas the year it came out and found it to be a rare example of a sequel beating it's original.

Where it all began...

This is where I cam unstuck though....

For some reason I never picked up Brotherhood. I don't really know why, probably a combination of being a busy gaming period and not having the time as usual. The year after Revelations came out and I wasn't rushing to buy a game with a story I would be out of date on. When the series "official" third game was announced I decided I had better catch up because this new one looks freaking epic. A good friend of mine lent me Brotherhood - this was in March, it is not a week or so away from the release of AC3 and I am about 40% through the game. There is no chance in hell that I will have both these games finished in time for the new release.

So why in the world have I already put a payment down on the game?

I can't really explain. I got a good deal with a bunch of trade ins but still, I could be reserving Black Ops 2, Warfighter or I could have picked up Resident Evil 6. I am the marketers dream, buying products that I will not be using for months and months. The game will be incredible and I will play it, I want to play it at launch but I will not be missing out on the story so I will spend the next week stressing out that I am behind on these games.

Connor rushes to his nearest Gamestation!

I hate missing out on the peak of a game. The whole point is to play while it is hot so you can talk to people about it, compare notes and discuss the epic details of the plot. It's like someone walking up to you and saying how amazing the Neo vs. Smith fight is in The Matrix. One, it wasn't good and two, where the heck have you been!?

So I have two choices, play the games to death and not really enjoy them properly - or wait.
I hate waiting but I know it's the right choice - will just have to avoid all Templar/Assassin discussions till the rush dies down.

Free Hugs!
(Blade injury at your own risk)

Gaming on Trains

I said I was going to post some images of my new Minecraft house. I won't be posting this today as last night my cat decided to go to the toilet in my bed. Luckily I have a wife who knows a thing or ten about the best cleaning process. Once more real life takes away gaming....*shakes fist at the sky*

As mentioned before, I commute a long way so this is potentially about 3 hours gaming time for free everyday. The only problem is that the "games" available on the Android platform (I have a Nexus 7 and Xperia S) are not exactly ground breaking.

Good. Just not great.

These are some good games, they are some great pieces of mobile gaming here. The thing is, they are mobile games. I want a game to care about, to get involved and to lose myself in. There are none of those here. I used to have an iPad but I switched to the Nexus 7 (out of choice) and the gaming quality fell through the floor. Epic games on iOS like The Tiny Bang Story, Infinity Blade, Contre Jour and the incredible Machinarium. Where are the equivalents on Android? They simply don't exist.

Still I do have fun with my Android, even if it is superficial and a seeming waste of time. This morning I got more hole in ones than I could shake a stick at on Flick Golf. It's a "fun" game but I just don't care, I find myself turning it off for no reason because I'm just not involved.

This is my life. Recognise.

At this rate I will be pulling out my 3DS and buying Mario, a great decision of course but it just means another piece of kit to lug around which will be stolen when I am inevitably mugged (again!) This is the only reason I feel pushed to buy a Vita, because the games are serious and they want to be taken in the same bracket as a PS3 game or at least a low end console game.

Android really are missing a trick, though I suppose it's not really Google's fault that there aren't any games for their system. It has to be looked at though with a real priority because if things don't improve, I'm going back to Apple for my mobile gaming.

I hate that I'm saying that...

Minecraft XBox Edition 1.8.2

Got a 300 views, I'd better write something a bit more relevant.

It's here!!!!!!!

Yesterday brought the very exciting 1.8.2 update for the XBox edition of Minecraft - more commonly known as, "the update that makes it nearly starting to be respected as much as the PC version." I don't mean to be cruel, 4J Studios are doing a great job and it will never be easy to have as many snapshots and updates as much as the PC version.

To be fair I have not been playing the XBox version recently, I knew this update was coming so I didn't want to waste my time with a world that would ultimately need to be reset. I have spent my weeks pretending I know how Tekkit works. For those of you who do not know of it, Tekkit is a bunch of hardcore mods put into one easy install pack for the PC version of Minecraft. The short version is that it gives me too many options, I haven't got a clue where to start or where it ends (but that's a post for another day).

Tekkit - Too Much Choice...

Anyway I was quite happy to shift back to a simpler time of basic mining, building houses out of wood and whining about not having enough iron for rails =D

I decided to have a look at the new tutorial level, updated for the latest patch. I had heard a lot about all the Easter Eggs you can find. Unfortunately I have no patience, so after jumping down the well and donning some pretty fly gold armour I went for a swim and drowned underneath the floating town.....fail.
Feel free to comment on the Easter Eggs, I'd like to know where they are!

Whenever I start a new world I always get stuck choosing where to base myself, I like a flat green area with some interesting mountains nearby. I did find this - after about an hour of restarting worlds and getting annoyed by sand and snow. Like I said, no patience. I don't even have anything to show you yet. By the time I settled on a area I realised it had gone midnight which means 6 hours left of sleep for me (the real world comes calling). I'm going to build a house tonight and I'll post some pictures tomorrow for you all to say, "wow, it's a bog standard Minecraft house."

I did see a bunch of Endermen though which was cool for about 5 seconds, then I remembered how much the creep me out :S

Gamertag

Just for reference, this is me. Enjoy.

https://live.xbox.com/en-US/Profile?gamertag=Brad%20McMoon