Xbox blah

Firstly... fuck you blogger app as you didn't save my last post. Ahem.

Right back onto it.

Back last year when the xbox one and ps4 were released, I knew I wanted to stay with the xbox brand, so I did. It took me a few months to gather up my pennies and purchase a few shiny (actually matt) xbox one, complete with my very own high res but still largely generic football title (FIFA).

Since then, I honestly have not been particularly impressed with it. Initially there were problems connecting to the internet, an update fixed them. Downloads and updates are generally HUGE and my snails pace connection really struggles (not after today bitches, FIBRE DAY!) to download anything.

Equally game quantities are not high, there are some good titles, I could just do with... more. some highlights so far...

Ryse: Son of Rome, excellent single player mode, really enjoyed to the point I was disappointed when I could see the end coming. Multiplayer seemed good, but with the lag on my piece of shit connection I could never get a game, or it'd have issues during (tomorrow...)

Rayman Legends: Wii U game originally but a good old school 2D platformer that looks very nice, yes please!

Forza: Pretty and controls well, can't ask for much more can you?

There's more too, the FIFA is decent (still not buying 15 though) but there have been disappointments in things like Murder: Soul Suspect, the Destiny beta (which my sadly deleted/not saved post was all about) which I was hoping for more from.

Prices don't help, I have probably missed a couple of good ones, but at 50+ quid a game (in GAME, please see Amazon for more realistic prices) you're not going to take a punt on some are you? 360 prices started high and then as games got older they fell, this better happen here or I'll not be happy.

Equally, while I didn't shell out the full price for my console and Kinect (gotta love a voucher code), not long after I bought it, the price dropped, then dropped again (with less hardware) which pissed me off. Microsoft largely ignored the shouts of early adopters objecting to this or requesting some kind of freebie to make up for it and just cracked on. Not the greatest at PR!

There's also a shockingly large amount of remakes of 360 (and equivalent) titles. Both Metro games are coming back out (which I kind of want), all the Halo games (which I kind of want), GTA 5. Write some new stuff!

There are games in the pipeline I want (apart from the Metro pack) such as Destiny (still), Far Cry 4, Fallout 4, so it will get better, but most of these are months away, so my big black VCR-a-like (which I think is a good look) will probably get dustier before it gets busier.

The whole snap thing was shite too Nice touch I can watch TV while playing, up for that, however having to have the xbox on whenever you want to watch TV. Stuff that, ad a deal with Scottish Power did they?

Now I mentioned Destiny above, I can't be arsed writing my previous post again, but in a shortened form, it played like a very good FPS. But I was expecting more somehow, maybe once I get into the story in the full release it'll be all good, but it didn't really feel much apart from Call of Duty, which I stopped buying 2 or 3 years ago.

I don't regret the purchase and I remain optimistic long term, but so far this generation has been a bit of a disappointment. Onwards and upwards though.

Rise of Nightmares

My Kinect hasn't been the best of investments so far, if I'd paid anywhere near full what for it I'd be borderline livid, but I did get it on the cheap and I do very much like Kinect Sports. However apart from that software is well sketchy and if anything a bit... young (or a bit Wii-like even).

When I heard about Rise of Nightmares I was quite excited, looked a bit like House of the Dead, seemed quite interesting, uses Kinect. Result. It's been quite a wait for it to turn up and it didn't look all that promising from videos/previews etc and there was no demo (never a good sign), so I rented it yesterday as opposed to buying it, and honestly that seems like a good choice, it's not that I'm not enjoying it... it's just a bit... fiddly.

Combat is good, it picks up on punches, kicks, pipe swings well, but movement less so. A slight move of the shoulders can send you spinning off target. The graphics and voice acting is somewhat lacking and (so far) it's just not very scary, which must be what it was going for.

However, it is quite fun, punching zombies... where else can you do that, as I said the combat is reactive and well done and give them a quick 1-2 and down they go giving a sense of satisfaction. Nothing like kicking a zombie to the ground to make you feel good about yourself.

I've got it for 5 days, by which time I think the story mode will be done, and with no multiplayer and doubtful replay value, I'd say a rental is fair enough. It's not bad at all, it's just not wow.

Worth a go if you're curious though...

Top Spin 4

Ok, something different. I'm trying to post this via the medium of iPhone. Knowing auto correct as I do, please accept my apologies for the seemingly stupid/random typos it will contain.

Anyway, Friday is an exciting day for a tennis loving geek such as myself. It sees the release of Top Spin 4 on the 360 (other versions are available). Now of the main tennis games produced only really 2 are any good Top Spin and Virtua Tennis. It's a very similar split to Pro Evo and FIFA in that one tries to be realistic (Top Spin, FIFA) while the other is more 'arcadey'. On both sets on franchises I'm with the more realistic ones, Virtua Tennis is fun but it's just all a bit... Throwaway.

In Top Spin I like the career mode, which apparently now is even better. It plays very nice, from the demo anyway, but sadly the real player roster andcreal tornament listings are a bit sparse (no wimbeldon again :() with just as many 'legends' as current players. Thanks but I'd rather the current ones. It also includes a solitary Brit (World #5 Murray) while Virtua Tennis has 2 with the pretty random inclusion of Laura Robson. Not that I was expecting more, I hardly think the somewhat lacking talents of Jamie Baker, Richard Bloomfield or Jamie Ward deserve inclusion...

So come Friday I will wander to gameand lay my cash down for Top Spin and I'm pretty sure it'll be good fun to play. At least it will be a bit of variation from the almost unbroken run Fallout: New Vegas I'd getting in the drive at the moment.

That choice is a bit of a strange one, I never got on with Fallout 3. I don't know if it was the location didn't engage me, the game felt like a chore, or what, but I didn't like it. However, despite being a very very similar experience New Vegas has got me hooked. I find myself being careful with reputations, the setting is nice, I was genuinely looking forward to getting to Vegas itself and wasn't disappointed when I did. It's all good, well not quite all. There are still pull your hair out annoyed sections and bugs aplenty (although the major ones have been fixed) for example while repairing a powervstation HELIOS One last night I encountered a flying piece of scrap metal while seemed to be gravitationally attracted to me. I mean I'm not denying I'm a bit fat but I don't deserve my own moon!!

Anyway, once I done with New Vegas I may venture back to 3. Maybe now I'm familiar with the game more it'll click a bit better, but chancescare it won't.

Top Spin first anyway.

Kinect - a gaming revolution?

The time is quickly approaching that Microsft will be releasing their XBOX 360 peripheral, Kinect.

Aint it perdy?

Now Kinect (I preferred Natal) is billed as something that will fully revolutionise the way everyone games, removing controllers from the mix. I have a mate who managed to get is backside on the Beta testing program (jammy b*stard) and he can't stop raving about how good it is, how responsive how accurate etc. This is a guy who as a rule knows his stuff and his opinion can be very much trusted.

However, I'm far from convinced.

I've been through this 'new way of gaming stuff before' I picked up a Wii on launch day and was memorised by the way things played. Wii Sports was accurate, responsive and all those things, but after not a hell of a lot of time, it felt gimmicky. Third party titles came out that the developers had either not grasped how to program for the Wii, leading to difficult to play games, or were just lazily adding motion controls to existing titles to shift a few dozen more units.

I have a horrible feeling Kinect will do the same for me. For the first 3 or 4 weeks, it'll be amazing. I wont be able to believe I ever had to push a button to play stuff, what a fool was I! But then I wont feel like standing up, or some new games will arrive, as immense cost and be plainly rubbish and I'll long for my 360 pad again.

Plus there's the cost, these 'controllers' will not be cheap, in fact they will laugh in the face of cheap and mock just how cheap it is. Weighing in at £130 (you can get them cheaper but this is the RRP so Game/Gamestation will charge that at least, and probably a little more just cos people will pay it) you can actually guy an 360 for less. For your £130 you get the controller (at least you only need one) and 1 piece of software, Kinect Adventures. Any further games are full price, pocket destroying.

I have a preorder in place in Game in Swansea. It's not mine but when my (same) mate (I have more than one, I'm just only referring to him at the mo) found out his Beta testing kit was his, I inherited his preorder, but the closer I get to the day, the more I'm thinking, do I really want it? Can I really justify the outlay for something which seems to gimmicky? The more I think about the the more I'm thinking not.

Now, at this point I can add I've never actually played using it. It could be what I've been looking for all these years, I just don't know it yet. But chances are it's not, it'll be fun for a bi then gather dust. Actually I think writing this has just made my mind up!!

I read something perfect on the GamesTM forum yesterday, it basically said what will people prefer in the long run, playing with a invisible steering wheel, or feeling the rumble and feedback from a real one/controller. Well when you say it like that... (sorry can't find post again to link too!)

Microsoft know one thing, Kinect will be a success, it will sell millions and be impossible to get hold of (now thinks about keeping preorder and selling for Christmas... hmmm <evil laugh>) but it may not be one with people like me (I'm pretty sure there's not many people wanting to be put into that category) but the Wii inspired casual market and kids, and after all kids are the future. The Wii captured a market, that very market and it's understandable Microsoft want a chunk of it I suppose. I just hope it doesn't become compulsory on too many games.

I think I'll get Fable 3 instead, wait that's Kinect compatible... here we go again...