You may have seen this already if you follow me on Twitter but I thought I'd leave it here - just in case you need to find it again. It's a great promotion of the game and I feel it should make a great advert for the game and Vita in general.
The video came in a package sent to certain press teams in Japan, along with an apple and the message "You will control gravity for the first time".
The game is due out on 9th February in Japan and believed to be released on the Playstation Vita launch date (22nd February) in Europe and US. Note that the European release is apparently PSN-only.
Source: 4Gamer via Andriasang
Friday, 27 January 2012
Saturday, 14 January 2012
Hands on: Playstation Vita
Having just returned from the Vita Rooms event in Manchester and I've put some of my impressions below. Apologies if it seems really brief but my talent for writing is RUBBISH ;).
General
The device itself is quite light but felt really sturdy in my hands. The analog sticks themselves were smaller than I had thought and did take some getting used to. Overall though, I liked the look of the device and throughout the 3 hours I spent at the venue. There weren't any problems with the touch screen, though I did at times accidentally hit the rear touch panel which sometimes caused some minor gameplay issues. The screen looked brilliant in all the games I played. Speaking of which, here's a few opinions of what I played:
Little Big Planet
I tried 2 levels of LittleBigPlanet, the first being a standard platform level (which you've probably seen around online), while the other was an Air Hockey level for 2 players. The main level was good to demonstrate how the screen and rear touch panel would work with the game and in general looked really good.
Everybody's Golf
Played 6, birdied 6 :). The game actually looked a bit low-res at times but ultimately, it's Everybody's Golf :). I did test out all the new camera options and enjoyed playing the game.
Escape Plan
This was one of my favourite games at the event and out of our group of 3, the most played as well. The demo we played put us in as Lil and using the touch and rear touch screen to help Lil escape. If you mess up, you return to the start of the current room. The game shows a lot of promise and left a great impression on all of us.
Gravity Rush
Another favourite from the event and has been regarded as one of the most interesting games of the launch. The demo was basically a tutorial and a run up to and including the first boss. I sadly didn't really see anyone else playing the game but it's certainly the one that I'd purchase without thinking - just for the visuals!
Other games I played:
WipeOut 2048
Top Darts
ModNation Racers
Reality Fighters
Uncharted: Golden Abyss
FIFA Football
Touch my Katamari
Michael Jackson: The Experience (a guilty pleasure at the show!)
Hustle Kings
Super Stardust Delta
Overall, a good day out and a great chance to see what to expect when the Vita launches on 22nd February 2012. I've added a couple of games to my list of wants, and confirmed a few games that I'll decided to leave.
If you want any other impressions on games I didn't cover above, let me know on the comments, or via my Twitter (@HiddenAway1).
General
The device itself is quite light but felt really sturdy in my hands. The analog sticks themselves were smaller than I had thought and did take some getting used to. Overall though, I liked the look of the device and throughout the 3 hours I spent at the venue. There weren't any problems with the touch screen, though I did at times accidentally hit the rear touch panel which sometimes caused some minor gameplay issues. The screen looked brilliant in all the games I played. Speaking of which, here's a few opinions of what I played:
Little Big Planet
I tried 2 levels of LittleBigPlanet, the first being a standard platform level (which you've probably seen around online), while the other was an Air Hockey level for 2 players. The main level was good to demonstrate how the screen and rear touch panel would work with the game and in general looked really good.
Everybody's Golf
Played 6, birdied 6 :). The game actually looked a bit low-res at times but ultimately, it's Everybody's Golf :). I did test out all the new camera options and enjoyed playing the game.
Escape Plan
This was one of my favourite games at the event and out of our group of 3, the most played as well. The demo we played put us in as Lil and using the touch and rear touch screen to help Lil escape. If you mess up, you return to the start of the current room. The game shows a lot of promise and left a great impression on all of us.
Gravity Rush
Another favourite from the event and has been regarded as one of the most interesting games of the launch. The demo was basically a tutorial and a run up to and including the first boss. I sadly didn't really see anyone else playing the game but it's certainly the one that I'd purchase without thinking - just for the visuals!
Other games I played:
WipeOut 2048
Top Darts
ModNation Racers
Reality Fighters
Uncharted: Golden Abyss
FIFA Football
Touch my Katamari
Michael Jackson: The Experience (a guilty pleasure at the show!)
Hustle Kings
Super Stardust Delta
Overall, a good day out and a great chance to see what to expect when the Vita launches on 22nd February 2012. I've added a couple of games to my list of wants, and confirmed a few games that I'll decided to leave.
If you want any other impressions on games I didn't cover above, let me know on the comments, or via my Twitter (@HiddenAway1).
Monday, 9 January 2012
What I've been playing - 31st December 2011 to 8th January 2012
A new year and a new aim (a bit cheap to call it a resolution I suppose). To reduce my backlog to manageable levels. If you haven't noticed, I've already started logging my games via Backloggery so feel free to have a peek at the list. Bear in mind that 90% of the Steam stuff was all from last year - stupid sales...
Purchases
...and I didn't start off very well either. Steam-wise, I grabbed Puzzle Agent 1 and 2, as well as Gemini Rue (I'm a sucker for adventure games like this). On PSN's festive sale, I acquired the 2 Penny Arcade Adventures, Patapon 3, Metal Slug XX and a collection of 5 minis which I won't list here. Thank goodness the PSN sale was slightly disappointing aside from that.
Oh, and I finally pre-ordered the Playstation Vita. I went for the Wi-Fi version with a 16GB card (seriously, I would have grabbed the 32GB if you just let me Sony...) and Everybody's Golf - because I love the series. I can't help it, alright?! :)
Chantelise
After purchasing it last year, I finally got started on Carpe Fulgur's follow-up to smash hit Recettear. An old adventure game where you and your sister are fighting to try and reverse a curse that a witch has put on you, turning your sister into a fairy. The game itself was fairly easy to complete (without going overboard with the collectibles). It also had fishing! I love fishing mini-games. I still haven't seen one that competes with Dark Chronicle though. Fishing for food, fish breeding, fishing contests and fish racing. Overall, a decent game, but one for fans of the genre only.
And Yet It Moves
This seemed interesting from the word go. The aim is to rotate the world around you to navigate through the levels. For example, you see a platform above you and the only way to get to it is to turn the world upside down. Numerous deaths later, the game was complete, though i haven't delved into the additional content yet. That's for another time. Enjoyable game. Reminded me a bit of LocoRoco.
Wallace & Gromit Grand Adventures
Did I mention that I loved point-and-click games? Well, I do. Needless to say, every time I launched Steam and spotted the 3 unfinished episodes in my list, I was never happy with it. After AYIM was done, I started on Wallace & Gromit and finished the 3 episodes. Fans of the series will love it and it's about as close to the actual characters as it's going to get. Wasn't a fan of the last episode though...
Limbo
Now here's something I missed last year (or was it the year before?). I had played through the demo of the game on the PS3 but I played through and finished it on Steam. Probably the best of the games I've finished so far. Your job is simple. Your sister is lost, and you have to find her. Out in the bleak world though, you find loads of unscrupulous monsters or obstacles in your way and practically anything will kill you. After dying 100 times via spikes, drowning and being speared by a spider leg, there's not much hope for me to finish the game with fewer than 5 deaths. So, I'll just leave it as completed :P.
Sequence
DDR meets RPG-based battling? You bet. First of all, I must thank the developer and his exceptionally kind offer to give this game out on Steam over on the NeoGAF forums. It's a great concept and well written. I was close to finishing it last night until fatigue and a growing number of TV programmes stopped me short of finishing the last floor. The game is also available on the 360 - grab it!
Also playing: Dissidia duodecim Final Fantasy and Fortune Summoners (demo)
Other news
We're all still floating into our offices I suppose so news is scarce - aside from the 360 account hacking that seems to be gaining traction. Also heading out to Manchester to check out the Vita prior to it's release next month. Let me know if you'll be there!
Purchases
...and I didn't start off very well either. Steam-wise, I grabbed Puzzle Agent 1 and 2, as well as Gemini Rue (I'm a sucker for adventure games like this). On PSN's festive sale, I acquired the 2 Penny Arcade Adventures, Patapon 3, Metal Slug XX and a collection of 5 minis which I won't list here. Thank goodness the PSN sale was slightly disappointing aside from that.
Oh, and I finally pre-ordered the Playstation Vita. I went for the Wi-Fi version with a 16GB card (seriously, I would have grabbed the 32GB if you just let me Sony...) and Everybody's Golf - because I love the series. I can't help it, alright?! :)
Chantelise
After purchasing it last year, I finally got started on Carpe Fulgur's follow-up to smash hit Recettear. An old adventure game where you and your sister are fighting to try and reverse a curse that a witch has put on you, turning your sister into a fairy. The game itself was fairly easy to complete (without going overboard with the collectibles). It also had fishing! I love fishing mini-games. I still haven't seen one that competes with Dark Chronicle though. Fishing for food, fish breeding, fishing contests and fish racing. Overall, a decent game, but one for fans of the genre only.
And Yet It Moves
This seemed interesting from the word go. The aim is to rotate the world around you to navigate through the levels. For example, you see a platform above you and the only way to get to it is to turn the world upside down. Numerous deaths later, the game was complete, though i haven't delved into the additional content yet. That's for another time. Enjoyable game. Reminded me a bit of LocoRoco.
Wallace & Gromit Grand Adventures
Did I mention that I loved point-and-click games? Well, I do. Needless to say, every time I launched Steam and spotted the 3 unfinished episodes in my list, I was never happy with it. After AYIM was done, I started on Wallace & Gromit and finished the 3 episodes. Fans of the series will love it and it's about as close to the actual characters as it's going to get. Wasn't a fan of the last episode though...
Limbo
Now here's something I missed last year (or was it the year before?). I had played through the demo of the game on the PS3 but I played through and finished it on Steam. Probably the best of the games I've finished so far. Your job is simple. Your sister is lost, and you have to find her. Out in the bleak world though, you find loads of unscrupulous monsters or obstacles in your way and practically anything will kill you. After dying 100 times via spikes, drowning and being speared by a spider leg, there's not much hope for me to finish the game with fewer than 5 deaths. So, I'll just leave it as completed :P.
Sequence
DDR meets RPG-based battling? You bet. First of all, I must thank the developer and his exceptionally kind offer to give this game out on Steam over on the NeoGAF forums. It's a great concept and well written. I was close to finishing it last night until fatigue and a growing number of TV programmes stopped me short of finishing the last floor. The game is also available on the 360 - grab it!
Also playing: Dissidia duodecim Final Fantasy and Fortune Summoners (demo)
Other news
We're all still floating into our offices I suppose so news is scarce - aside from the 360 account hacking that seems to be gaining traction. Also heading out to Manchester to check out the Vita prior to it's release next month. Let me know if you'll be there!
Friday, 30 December 2011
My gaming in 2011
Well, another year is about to fade away and of course the world supposedly ends in 2012. Let's hope it doesn't happen because I have a nasty backlog to get through now :P. It didn't start out like that. However, once I re-discovered Steam, their massive sales and the indie bundles, I went crazy - especially in July when I bought around 14 games in their Summer Camp sale. Some I haven't even started yet.
In a bit, I'll list some of games on my "to play" list and reasons why I haven't started or continued them. First of all, I better tackle the games I've been into this year...
Xenoblade Chronicles - Wii
Anyone following me on Twitter knows I absolutely fell in love with this game. After the mild disappointment of Final Fantasy XIII last year, I wasn't sure where the next JRPG masterpiece was going to come from. Then (thanks mainly to Operation Rainfall and NoA's refusal to discuss the game's localisation in US), I caught my first look at Xenoblade Chronicles. I pre-ordered it - ironically because I wanted to get a copy before it became one of those rare titles that I'd never find again.
(Note: There is a lot more than just running in this game ;). I'd show the full trailer but that alone is full of spoilers in it's own right. If you're just looking at the game and don't care for spoilers, you can find the full trailer here)
The game arrived and I was glued in from start to finish. So much to do, breathtaking scenery, loads of twists and turns and a fantastic soundtrack. I loved every second that I played of the game and I just want to be able to play it again when I forget what happened. That's unlikely though as it'll probably stick with me for some time. Essentially, this was my game of the year.
BONUS! A few links for some of my favourite songs from the game :)
Battle music
Unfinished Battle - used only once :(
Boss Music
Gaur Plains
The title theme (give it time :))
Portal 2 - PS3 (also on 360)
Portal - Cake - Puzzles. I loved Portal when I had a chance to play it on the PC and Portal 2 was just as good. Some great new mechanics and attempts to shake the game up. Loads of cracking dialogue in between some real head-scratchers. I'd buy the 3rd game if it ever came out but I think everyone else just wants Half-Life 3 now, right?
Ico/Shadow of the Colossus HD - PS3
The games were brilliant enough of the PS2 but when given the lick of paint for their HD remasters (or in the case of SotC - fix the frame rate), they looked stunning. Ico certainly benefited from the treatment. SotC was nice too, but something wasn't quite right with it. Regardless, it felt good to return to the games after so long. Let's just hope The Last Guardian can follow their colossal footsteps.
Stacking - PS3 (also on 360)
I didn't get to play this until near the end of the year but it was a fantastic game and certainly unique. The idea of using Russian dolls to solve puzzles gave the game charm and humour in spades. Just solving the puzzles in different ways was good fun - not to mention the amount of fun one can have by punching other dolls with a nice right hook.
Beat Hazard Ultra - PC/PS3
So good, I bought it twice. This twin-stick shooter uses your music (or music from online Radio - or it's own music) to generate waves of monsters primed to shoot you down. It's a great game and well worth looking at if you are a fan of the genre.
Other games worth mentioning:
Some of the notable games that are on my "to play" list - and my excuses...
In a bit, I'll list some of games on my "to play" list and reasons why I haven't started or continued them. First of all, I better tackle the games I've been into this year...
Xenoblade Chronicles - Wii
Anyone following me on Twitter knows I absolutely fell in love with this game. After the mild disappointment of Final Fantasy XIII last year, I wasn't sure where the next JRPG masterpiece was going to come from. Then (thanks mainly to Operation Rainfall and NoA's refusal to discuss the game's localisation in US), I caught my first look at Xenoblade Chronicles. I pre-ordered it - ironically because I wanted to get a copy before it became one of those rare titles that I'd never find again.
(Note: There is a lot more than just running in this game ;). I'd show the full trailer but that alone is full of spoilers in it's own right. If you're just looking at the game and don't care for spoilers, you can find the full trailer here)
The game arrived and I was glued in from start to finish. So much to do, breathtaking scenery, loads of twists and turns and a fantastic soundtrack. I loved every second that I played of the game and I just want to be able to play it again when I forget what happened. That's unlikely though as it'll probably stick with me for some time. Essentially, this was my game of the year.
BONUS! A few links for some of my favourite songs from the game :)
Battle music
Unfinished Battle - used only once :(
Boss Music
Gaur Plains
The title theme (give it time :))
Portal 2 - PS3 (also on 360)
Portal - Cake - Puzzles. I loved Portal when I had a chance to play it on the PC and Portal 2 was just as good. Some great new mechanics and attempts to shake the game up. Loads of cracking dialogue in between some real head-scratchers. I'd buy the 3rd game if it ever came out but I think everyone else just wants Half-Life 3 now, right?
Ico/Shadow of the Colossus HD - PS3
The games were brilliant enough of the PS2 but when given the lick of paint for their HD remasters (or in the case of SotC - fix the frame rate), they looked stunning. Ico certainly benefited from the treatment. SotC was nice too, but something wasn't quite right with it. Regardless, it felt good to return to the games after so long. Let's just hope The Last Guardian can follow their colossal footsteps.
Stacking - PS3 (also on 360)
I didn't get to play this until near the end of the year but it was a fantastic game and certainly unique. The idea of using Russian dolls to solve puzzles gave the game charm and humour in spades. Just solving the puzzles in different ways was good fun - not to mention the amount of fun one can have by punching other dolls with a nice right hook.
Beat Hazard Ultra - PC/PS3
So good, I bought it twice. This twin-stick shooter uses your music (or music from online Radio - or it's own music) to generate waves of monsters primed to shoot you down. It's a great game and well worth looking at if you are a fan of the genre.
Other games worth mentioning:
- Aquaria (PC/iPad) - a superb looking game set underwater and to some great music
- Dissidia duodecim Final Fantasy (PSP) - well, I suppose if you liked the previous game...
- LittleBigPlanet 2 (PS3) - A great sequel to the original game, now allowing you to create really complex levels - or even games.
- OMG-Z (PSP/PS3) - A fantastic little game where you have limited bullets to fire at zombies to spark off a chain reaction of acid, explosions and friendly fire. Fantastic game, though a little on the short side.
- Child of Eden (PS3/360) - A great looking game and a great experience.
Some of the notable games that are on my "to play" list - and my excuses...
- Aquaria - I loved what I played but I got lost and haven't been back since
- Valkyria Chronicles - There isn't one. I just can't get into the mood to play it for some unknown reason
- Persona 3 Portable - Blame Dissidia duodecim and it's "consecutive days played" count for this...
- Corpse Party - Err, the first ending scared me enough. Want to get back to it though!
- Chantelise - I haven't got a clue why I've not started on this yet. It's supposed to be right up my alley!
- Trails in the Sky - Gave it to my sister while I played Persona 2: Innocent Sin. Sadly, another 2 victims of the Dissidia duodecim curse.
- The 3rd Birthday - See other PSP games...
- Bastion - Had trouble on the first playthrough before failing to get past the title screen
- All the Indie Bundle games - ARGH!
What I've been playing - 19th to 30th December 2011
Christmas has been and gone and now I'm relaxed enough (finished work early \o/) to sort through what I've been up to since my last post.
Purchases
I finally got to purchase Laughing Jackal's latest PSN mini, Orbit and their previous release, Fighting Fantasy: The Warlock of Firetop Mountain. The former has been played a lot (more below), the latter hasn't been touched at all.
The Steam sales have also arrived but mercifully, I've managed to stave off my cravings. Except to purchase The Binding of Isaac - which everyone has been harping on about.
Christmas arrived and left me with Child of Eden (another game I've been playing a lot this week) and Professor Layton's latest game (which won't be played until I start/finish the previous game).
Dissidia 012 duodecim Final Fantasy
Just a few more characters to max out. Here's a video of one of the recent battles I had against the computer. Enjoy (me being rubbish)!
Orbit
A PSN mini from UK based developers, Laughing Jackal. This game sees you and your scientific colleague roam the planets of the solar system to explore every nook and cranny of the world. The aim is to fly around the planets (side-scroller style), in search of relics and money to upgrade your ship. Once you've flown around the planet once, you move on to the next planet and the game basically repeats this for each planet, getting larger as you go along.
Quite an addictive game and the characters do have some great lines (and the obvious Uranus jokes). Not as brilliant as OMG-Z (a chain-attack strategy game with zombies) but well worth a look and costs £2.49.
Child of Eden
This is a musical shooter where the aim is to save Project Lumi from a virus attack as the project nears completion - which would eventually reproduce a human in the world of Eden (where the much appreciated game, Rez takes place). The game uses either motion controls (i.e Kinect or in my case, PS Move) or the standard controller to give you 5 beautiful levels of on-rails shooting action. The way it works is that you lock on to enemies with your reticule and then unleash the bullets in quick succession. Firing the maximum number of bullets in time to the music nets you extra points and your score is tallied up at the end.
It's quite an experience with Move. After some fiddly calibration, the game plays brilliantly and in Trance mode (i.e. another controller in your hand - vibrating to the music) it's even better. I'd love to try this out with Kinect at some point, just to compare it with the PS3 version. I've completed the game but there's a lot to do (killing all the enemies, picking up every item or just achieving a perfect game) and it will take a few goes before I can start eating away at those trophies.
Other news
There's the cancellation of The Last Guardian that turned out to be a mistake (phew!) and Playstation Vita selling well in the first 2 days in Japan - before collapsing. A collapse that has led many a forum to cry "DOOM!"
Keep an eye out on the blog for my personal look at 2011.
Purchases
I finally got to purchase Laughing Jackal's latest PSN mini, Orbit and their previous release, Fighting Fantasy: The Warlock of Firetop Mountain. The former has been played a lot (more below), the latter hasn't been touched at all.
The Steam sales have also arrived but mercifully, I've managed to stave off my cravings. Except to purchase The Binding of Isaac - which everyone has been harping on about.
Christmas arrived and left me with Child of Eden (another game I've been playing a lot this week) and Professor Layton's latest game (which won't be played until I start/finish the previous game).
Dissidia 012 duodecim Final Fantasy
Just a few more characters to max out. Here's a video of one of the recent battles I had against the computer. Enjoy (me being rubbish)!
Orbit
A PSN mini from UK based developers, Laughing Jackal. This game sees you and your scientific colleague roam the planets of the solar system to explore every nook and cranny of the world. The aim is to fly around the planets (side-scroller style), in search of relics and money to upgrade your ship. Once you've flown around the planet once, you move on to the next planet and the game basically repeats this for each planet, getting larger as you go along.
Quite an addictive game and the characters do have some great lines (and the obvious Uranus jokes). Not as brilliant as OMG-Z (a chain-attack strategy game with zombies) but well worth a look and costs £2.49.
Child of Eden
This is a musical shooter where the aim is to save Project Lumi from a virus attack as the project nears completion - which would eventually reproduce a human in the world of Eden (where the much appreciated game, Rez takes place). The game uses either motion controls (i.e Kinect or in my case, PS Move) or the standard controller to give you 5 beautiful levels of on-rails shooting action. The way it works is that you lock on to enemies with your reticule and then unleash the bullets in quick succession. Firing the maximum number of bullets in time to the music nets you extra points and your score is tallied up at the end.
It's quite an experience with Move. After some fiddly calibration, the game plays brilliantly and in Trance mode (i.e. another controller in your hand - vibrating to the music) it's even better. I'd love to try this out with Kinect at some point, just to compare it with the PS3 version. I've completed the game but there's a lot to do (killing all the enemies, picking up every item or just achieving a perfect game) and it will take a few goes before I can start eating away at those trophies.
Other news
There's the cancellation of The Last Guardian that turned out to be a mistake (phew!) and Playstation Vita selling well in the first 2 days in Japan - before collapsing. A collapse that has led many a forum to cry "DOOM!"
Keep an eye out on the blog for my personal look at 2011.
Thursday, 15 December 2011
What I've been playing - 12th to 18th December 2011
It's nearly Christmas and as such, I usually rein in my spending on games and various other trinkets I might buy without hesitation.
I say usually. It didn't happen obviously...
Purchases
It was bundle week this week - bad news for a backlog. I couldn't resist some Point-and-click fun so I grabbed the Blackwell trilogy as part of the Indie Royale and I also roped myself into buying Humble Indie Bundle because it had a few games I was looking into. Finally, I bought Corpse Party (more on that below)
Dissidia 012 duodecim Final Fantasy
Some background here. I'm trying to get the game completed 100% because I'm obsessed with this - and also with keeping the in-game day counter running. It was literally a few weeks after I retired the original Dissidia (a full year of playing the game) that they announced the sequel.
So, current state? Slowly getting the characters to SSS status. Just 10 to go...
LittleBigPlanet 2
Managed to finish the game with my sister and Celedin. Great fun playing all the levels together. Just missing that one extra player that we need to get the last few items in the game.
As for community levels, I've seen some mind-blowing creations. The most impressive one I've seen is Little Big Fantasy - Goddess War, which is basically, a JRPG in the LBP2 engine. Not much in the way of battling (the level was maxed out as it was) but it shows a lot of promise.
If you're after some speed, Kaleida's Maze is superb fun and you can always try to Ace it as the ultimate challenge.
Corpse Party
For the uninitiated (and for those not reading up on Japanese games, that means you :P), this is a horror game that just got released on PSN as a download exclusive for the PSP. The game's unique selling point is the audio, which simulates a surround effect for maximum scare potential (when wearing headphones). This means you can end up hearing whispers direct in one ear, or a ghostly sound flying around you, with it's wails circling from one ear to the other.
I've just encountered the first of the "incorrect" endings in the first chapter. It's certainly an unsettling game and one that horror fans should look into - if only for something different. Just be warned that you'll not see any zombies here!
Other news
Big week in Japan as the Playstation Vita finally went on sale, and it's not even been a year since it's unveiling back in January. Early indications are that the touch screen seems a bit poor in "textural" quality and the Wi-Fi cuts out when you're not using it. Uncharted doesn't seem to be as good as expected (in the graphics department) and in-game screenshots make the games look worse.
The other big news that struck me this week was the confirmation that Fumito Ueda (who's been the creator of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus) has left Sony, but will still work on the exceptionally late release of The Last Guardian.
Until next week, let me know what you think of the format. Too long? Too short? No pictures? (I know, I'll try and get some next week - promise!)
I say usually. It didn't happen obviously...
Purchases
It was bundle week this week - bad news for a backlog. I couldn't resist some Point-and-click fun so I grabbed the Blackwell trilogy as part of the Indie Royale and I also roped myself into buying Humble Indie Bundle because it had a few games I was looking into. Finally, I bought Corpse Party (more on that below)
Dissidia 012 duodecim Final Fantasy
Some background here. I'm trying to get the game completed 100% because I'm obsessed with this - and also with keeping the in-game day counter running. It was literally a few weeks after I retired the original Dissidia (a full year of playing the game) that they announced the sequel.
So, current state? Slowly getting the characters to SSS status. Just 10 to go...
LittleBigPlanet 2
Managed to finish the game with my sister and Celedin. Great fun playing all the levels together. Just missing that one extra player that we need to get the last few items in the game.
As for community levels, I've seen some mind-blowing creations. The most impressive one I've seen is Little Big Fantasy - Goddess War, which is basically, a JRPG in the LBP2 engine. Not much in the way of battling (the level was maxed out as it was) but it shows a lot of promise.
If you're after some speed, Kaleida's Maze is superb fun and you can always try to Ace it as the ultimate challenge.
Corpse Party
For the uninitiated (and for those not reading up on Japanese games, that means you :P), this is a horror game that just got released on PSN as a download exclusive for the PSP. The game's unique selling point is the audio, which simulates a surround effect for maximum scare potential (when wearing headphones). This means you can end up hearing whispers direct in one ear, or a ghostly sound flying around you, with it's wails circling from one ear to the other.
I've just encountered the first of the "incorrect" endings in the first chapter. It's certainly an unsettling game and one that horror fans should look into - if only for something different. Just be warned that you'll not see any zombies here!
Other news
Big week in Japan as the Playstation Vita finally went on sale, and it's not even been a year since it's unveiling back in January. Early indications are that the touch screen seems a bit poor in "textural" quality and the Wi-Fi cuts out when you're not using it. Uncharted doesn't seem to be as good as expected (in the graphics department) and in-game screenshots make the games look worse.
The other big news that struck me this week was the confirmation that Fumito Ueda (who's been the creator of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus) has left Sony, but will still work on the exceptionally late release of The Last Guardian.
Until next week, let me know what you think of the format. Too long? Too short? No pictures? (I know, I'll try and get some next week - promise!)
Saturday, 10 December 2011
Changes
So, as per my first post in over 2 years, here's what I'm looking to do.
More personalised - The fact that this was turning into something like a news blog just didn't sit well with me after a while. So from now on, I'll be giving more of my own opinions and sharing thoughts on games I've played every so often (eventually spanning to weekly posts - if I can). I'll try not to bore you with all the details - or worse, spoil something!
Shorter reviews - It's a sign of laziness creeping in that I can't write an essay any more. With that, the review style of old is out of here. Instead, it'll just be a quick list of likes, dislikes and whether I recommend a purchase. Depends on how much of the backlog I'm playing though...
More updates - Yes, I'll try my absolute best to get some more posts in each week. Though bear in mind that only personal opinions pieces (like "what I'm playing" or reviews) will be posted to my Twitter account (*shameless plug*: I'm @HiddenAway1)
Hopefully, you'll stick with me while I sort myself out and dust the cobwebs off. See you around!
More personalised - The fact that this was turning into something like a news blog just didn't sit well with me after a while. So from now on, I'll be giving more of my own opinions and sharing thoughts on games I've played every so often (eventually spanning to weekly posts - if I can). I'll try not to bore you with all the details - or worse, spoil something!
Shorter reviews - It's a sign of laziness creeping in that I can't write an essay any more. With that, the review style of old is out of here. Instead, it'll just be a quick list of likes, dislikes and whether I recommend a purchase. Depends on how much of the backlog I'm playing though...
More updates - Yes, I'll try my absolute best to get some more posts in each week. Though bear in mind that only personal opinions pieces (like "what I'm playing" or reviews) will be posted to my Twitter account (*shameless plug*: I'm @HiddenAway1)
Hopefully, you'll stick with me while I sort myself out and dust the cobwebs off. See you around!
Resurrection!
Hello everyone! You might have noticed that the blog got "mothballed" for a few months (OK, years). Just so you know, I'll be looking to start posting stuff again, though I'll be looking to keep it a bit more personal rather than just chucking news at you (I'll still do that, but less of it :)).
Please be patient while I find time to start writing again in the next week or 2!
Oh, and yes, I'll clear up that sidebar before the new year :P
Please be patient while I find time to start writing again in the next week or 2!
Oh, and yes, I'll clear up that sidebar before the new year :P
Friday, 13 February 2009
European release date confirmed for Persona 4
Square-Enix finally fixed their sights on a largely rumoured 13th March 2009 date for the European release of Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4. The critically acclaimed RPG will come with a bonus 24 song CD and at the moment is holding a budget price of £17.99 on most online retailers.
The game centers around a small town where strange murders are happening. For some reason, these tend to correspond to the weather in the town. Just like in Persona 3, you have to balance your school life but with Persona 4, the pace will pick up as there is no telling when the weather will turn bad.
Official website
Source: Press release
The game centers around a small town where strange murders are happening. For some reason, these tend to correspond to the weather in the town. Just like in Persona 3, you have to balance your school life but with Persona 4, the pace will pick up as there is no telling when the weather will turn bad.
Official website
Source: Press release
Monday, 9 February 2009
Trailer: Muramasa: The Demon Blade
This period of gaming may well be quiet for those without RPG tendancies, but in the future, things are looking rosier. Take this for example. Here's a gameplay trailer for Muramasa: The Demon Blade for the Wii. The game is made by Vanillaware, the makers of Odin Sphere. Now you know why it looks so similar. Judging by the visuals, we're seriously hoping this game triumphs in the gameplay department as well as the visual content.
Sunday, 18 January 2009
Trailer: Star Ocean: The Last Hope explores Europe on 24th April
One of the bigger Square-Enix franchises, Star Ocean, finds a new platform and a release date for Europe as The Last Hope was given a release date of 24th April 2009. The series, making it's first appearance on the XBox 360, focuses on battling within an arena in real-time while exploring new worlds. Have a look below for a trailer taken from the Tokyo Game Show last year.
Update: It seems the release date isn't quite as solid as expected. Square-Enix just announced that the game will be released in Europe in Spring 2009.
Source: Gamekyo
Update: It seems the release date isn't quite as solid as expected. Square-Enix just announced that the game will be released in Europe in Spring 2009.
Source: Gamekyo
Wednesday, 7 January 2009
European Release Dates as of 7th January 2009
A new year has just begun but we are getting some confirmed release dates already! A remake for the classic RPG Chrono Trigger will be released on the DS on the 6th February. This will be swiftly followed by the PS3 release of Eternal Sonata on the 13th February and to cap it all off, Disgaea 3 will appear on your store shelves on the 20th February. What more do you want?!
(Well, Persona 4 on the 27th February I suppose...)
Chrono Trigger - 06/02/2009
Eternal Sonata (PS3) - 13/02/2009
Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice - 20/02/2009
Persona 4 - Spring 2009
Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume - Spring 2009
Muramasa: The Demon Blade - November 2009
Disgaea DS - 2009
Patapon 2 - 2009
Star Ocean: Second Evolution - 2009
Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope - 2009
(Well, Persona 4 on the 27th February I suppose...)
Chrono Trigger - 06/02/2009
Eternal Sonata (PS3) - 13/02/2009
Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice - 20/02/2009
Persona 4 - Spring 2009
Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume - Spring 2009
Muramasa: The Demon Blade - November 2009
Disgaea DS - 2009
Patapon 2 - 2009
Star Ocean: Second Evolution - 2009
Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope - 2009
Monday, 5 January 2009
The final completed games list of 2008
All of the games I completed last year are listed below. It goes from latest to earliest (sadly that's the way the blog does it)
* Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party (Wii)
* Magical Starsign
* Loco Roco 2
* Elite Beat Agents
* Odin Sphere
* Jeanne d'Arc
* Portal (Steam)
* Professor Layton and the Curious Village
* Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
* Space Invaders Extreme (PSP)
* Gitaroo Man Lives! (PSP)
* Everybody's Golf 2
* flOw
* Ape Quest
* Dragoneer's Aria
* Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3
* Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure
* Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria
* Patapon
* Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii)
* Exit (PSP)
* Rayman Raving Rabbids 2
* Zack & Wiki
* Sam & Max: Season One (PC)
* Brave Story: New Traveler
* Link's Crossbow Training
* Pokemon Pearl
* Dreamfall: The Longest Journey (PC)
* The Longest Journey (PC)
* Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance (PS2)
* Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party (Wii)
* Magical Starsign
* Loco Roco 2
* Elite Beat Agents
* Odin Sphere
* Jeanne d'Arc
* Portal (Steam)
* Professor Layton and the Curious Village
* Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
* Space Invaders Extreme (PSP)
* Gitaroo Man Lives! (PSP)
* Everybody's Golf 2
* flOw
* Ape Quest
* Dragoneer's Aria
* Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3
* Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure
* Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria
* Patapon
* Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii)
* Exit (PSP)
* Rayman Raving Rabbids 2
* Zack & Wiki
* Sam & Max: Season One (PC)
* Brave Story: New Traveler
* Link's Crossbow Training
* Pokemon Pearl
* Dreamfall: The Longest Journey (PC)
* The Longest Journey (PC)
* Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance (PS2)
Happy new year!
OK, I'm late as always but a happy new year to everyone and lets hope this year will bring us more left-field games on all the consoles!
Monday, 8 December 2008
It's coming! Persona 4 for Europe in 2009! Disgaea 3 as well!
Rejoice again European fans! Square-Enix have rescued Persona 4 from European release limbo and have scheduled the release for Spring 2009. The latest installment of the Persona series includes a new setting of a country town gripped with a murder mystery that is somehow related to the weather. Instead of going up the endless tower, you'll be sucked into the TV instead, just as the Americans will be when they get the game tomorrow. Pray that we don't wait too long for what could be the last great PS2 game.
While we're on the subject, Square-Enix have picked up the rights to release Disgaea 3 for the PS3 in Europe. No solid release date was given but we should be able to look forward to more level 9999 goodness next year.
Source: Eurogamer
While we're on the subject, Square-Enix have picked up the rights to release Disgaea 3 for the PS3 in Europe. No solid release date was given but we should be able to look forward to more level 9999 goodness next year.
Source: Eurogamer
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