Different memory units to be supported in spring update

Heads up Xbox 360 owners
Joystiq have reported in the last 24 hours (I am not figuring what time in GMT the American report came through), that they have confirmed that an update for the 360 in the spring will lead to the system being able to use non-Microsoft produced storage devices for saved games, DLC and profiles.  But wait...

You'll still need a 360 hard drive
Well, you will do if you feel that the 16 GB and 512 MB aren't going to be enough for your gaming needs, and in a lot of cases that paltry size certainly will be unsatisfactory.  Essentially the update, according to Joystiq, will mean that any external hard drive you use will be formatted by your 360, and cause the 360 to only use up to 16 GB and 512 MB of the external drive's memory.  That's less than the 20 GB hard drive that used to come with the Premium system.

However...
This does mean that you'll no longer need to buy those annoying 512 MB 360 memory units.  Instead you could carry your gamertag and save files around on a 1 GB (has to be that size, minimum) USB device.

Microsoft have yet to officially announce all this mind.

Related links
Joystiq article on the matter

Tackling Final Fantasy XIII

Pardon?
The lack of stuff this week has been in part due to Paul and mine's journey through Final Fantasy XIII.  It's a big game and deserves to be properly played through before we give our verdict on it.


Stuff will appear
We will be posting stuff, and have been, but if a day or so goes by and there's nothing new it's because we're lost on Cocoon.

In the mean time, check out these related links:


Related links
Official website
Wiki entry

Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe

Button bashing on the 360

One of my comfort games of the last few months has been a game in the Mortal Kombat franchise.  I gain joy when button bashing on a control pad delivers such exquisite moves on Easy difficulty.

When was it released?

It was released at the end of 2008 for the XBox 360 and PS3.

Background

MK vs DC features characters from Midway's popular Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise battling with and against characters from Detective Comics' various comic book series.  Interestingly the fitcional universes begin to collide in the game's story, and all hell breaks loose.

Don't expect canon treatment of the characters in the game, but at least they remember to explain that the reason why MK's Raiden can kick DC's Superman's ass: Superman has no resistance to magic.  The game doesn't fit in with either franchise time line, except for maybe DC Universe's 'ultimate Elseworlds' (whatever that is (hey, I've only read a few of the Batman and Superman graphics)).

But is it fun to play?

If you're not obsessively knowledgeable of either universe, then it is fun, you can take it as a Western fighting game that has a reasonable bit of story thrown in.  Story is good.

I enjoyed the fact that someone like me, who is hopeless at pulling off combos in fighting games, stood a chance at completing arcade and story mode.  Online play works fine, but if you're just playing this game casually than a lack of ability in pulling-off combos becomes a disadvantage.

What was missing?

It would have been nice if some of the MK staples had made an appearence, such as collectible in-game items and artwork.

Worth buying?

Yes and no.  If you and friends are not serious about the game's background, then it's great to have at a party and watch MK's Sonya punch DC's Joker in the face, and other such fun character combinations.  If you're looking for something that fits in with the chronology of either: look else where. 

Related links

Official game web site

Wiki entry on the game

Fallout 3, pt. 1

I've been playing this since it was released last year
So why haven't I seriously posted about it here? The game is immense. It's only recently that I've managed to scratch below the surface of what has to be one of the best games to be released last year.

Pt. 1?
Can't say how many parts there will be, but I don't want to bore you guys and gals too much by squishing it all into one entry.

FALLOUT 3
This is the third game in the main part of the series, and the first one to be released in quite some time. What we have here is a pretty, free roaming, RPG that is science fiction in nature, and in some ways, speculative fiction as well.

You can choose the gender and ethnicity of your character and customise their appearance. Their story is whatever you want it to be, except that you come from a Vault (a protective bunker environment), two hundred years after a nuclear holocaust gripped the world. It's set in the US.

So, yes, the game has a post-apocalyptic setting. I can't tell you too much about the story, because it would spoil it, but this game has some pretty decent narrative structures at work.

To come...
I bother to talk about game play for once, and think just how much I like this game more than others.

Related links
Official Fallout 3 website
Wiki entry for Fallout 3

Forget the first game for the moment...

Beside me on the sofa ('couch' for my US readers)
Is my newly bought 360 copy of Resident Evil 5, in a nice collector's box. I haven't started playing it yet.

But I still need to finish playing RESIDENT EVIL
True, but there's no way I can stop myself or my boyfriend from playing this game together tonight. Yes I am actually holding out on playing this.

What about the racism issues?
I'm not a black African, so I can't make any real judgement on this game, its setting and the minor antagonists portrayed in regards to this issue. However, in terms of Resident Evil's story arcs, the game had to end up in Africa at some point. Parts in the earlier games, and Wesker's Report, hinted that the original virus used components from Ebola samples that had been taken from hosts in Africa. In a way, then, it's the big evil coming home to roost.

Plot speculation - spoilers warning
From what I know of the story in the franchise I think it's quite possible that Albert Wesker, who originally helped Umbrella at some level in the development of the various viruses that have featured in the games, who has for some time appeared to be trying to dominate the world from the shadows, has cross infected the Las Plagas parasite from Resident Evil 4 with one of the original, or an altered version, of the viruses featured in the original games and Resident Evil Degeneration. Wesker has taken this BOW (biological weapon) to Africa to give it a test drive as to how effective a tool it could be.

So you're going to play it before you replay the other games?
Yes. I want to play on the two player mode, quite a bit.

Related links
Official Resident Evil web site
Wesker's Report II
Wiki entry on viruses in the Resident Evil series
Wiki entry on Resident Evil game series
Wiki entry looking at the racism debate over Resident Evil 5

The Orange Box pt. 3: Portal

What the heck is that?
That, my friends, is an ill-fated 'Companion Cube'. It's an object you come across in the action-adventure-puzzle game Portal.

PORTAL
Was first released as a part of The Orange Box, by Valve, in 2007. It takes place in Aperture Science Laboratories, which we learn a small amount about in Half-Life 2: Episode 2.

This game created some of the most wide spread and strangest Internet phenomena of the last few years. If anyone has ever said to you 'The cake is a lie', they are directly quoting from this game. And you know what... the cake is a lie.

What happens?
The game has a very limited story, but you appear to play as a young woman who wakes up in the laboratories, and a robotic voice orders you to complete numerous tasks using 'portals'. Portals in this game are openings through the space and dimensions of reality that allow for the rapid travel of an individual between two points.

If that makes any sense, let me know.

However, during the course of the game, you find out that not all is at it seems, after being first convinced that you're just helping out with some experiments, it soon becomes clear that that is not all your testers want of you. Your life is put into jeopardy quite a bit.

What do you like about it?
It has some really ingenious puzzles, especially after you get the 'portal gun', which is a gun that enables your character to create their own portals.

There's also some real sinister aspects that creep into the game, and into you, as you realise just how bad off the character is. The robotic voice that directs you is eerie, and when you finally meet its source, you need to be prepared to fend for your life.

Recommend?
If, for some reason you haven't played this game yet, go play it. It's not like the other games in The Orange Box as it's not about surviving with the use of guns, for here you only have your wits and the portal gun to defend you. The puzzles are fun, if sometimes frustrating, and it's a game that makes you 'think', in a nice way.

And if you have already played it, go and play it again, just do some of the challenging modes this time. Or at least to listen to the song that plays during the end credits.

Concluding notes
That's my final review for The Orange Box. If you want to read the other reviews see:

Half-Life 2 review
Half-Life 2: Episode 1 review
Getting stuck in Half-Life 2: Episode 2
Half-Life 2: Episode 2 review

I won't be reviewing Team Fortress 2, as I don't have an XBox Live Gold account, which is needed for the online play of this game, and this game is all pretty much all online play.

Related links
Official The Orange Box website
Official Valve website
Wiki entry on Portal

Half-Life 2: Episode 2

Y'know...
I don't always need catharsis, but dang, I do now.

I'm missing it already
So after one of the most gut wrenching cliff hangers I have ever witnessed a game ending on, I now find myself wanting to be playing the as-of-yet non-existent Half-Life 2: Episode 3.

Over the last month I have found myself become increasingly fond of Half-Life's main protagonist: Gordon Freeman. After all, everyone wants to play as the man who pretty much ends the human world, right?

Were there puzzles?
Well, this sequel seemed to be shorter than the previous games, and lacked puzzles of the same magnitude, but it was nice to play it just to see how the story developed.

So you got the rocket launcher?
Yes. A friend gave me a hint at how to get the thing. Launching Freeman into the air via the use of a grenade and a metal flap worked wonders.

Any more of the ORANGE BOX left?
I've got Portal to play next, but I'm not playing Team Fortress 2 as I lack a Gold Live account for my XBox 360.

Main criticism?
The way the game ended. You just shouldn't do that to a player! It's cruel and unusual. Obviously it left it right open for another sequel, but considering how long Valve (the developers) like to take when developing things... I'd be stupid to hold my breath.

Final words...
The game is worth at least one play through, but I would say that the original Half-Life 2 is the only one out of the recent (well, if you can call just over 4 years ago 'recent') games in the series that have any re-playability. The Orange Box is still an essential gaming purchase if you own a XBox 360 or a PC.

Related links
Official Orange Box website
Wikipedia entry for Half-Life 2
Valve's website

The Orange Box pt. 2: Half-Life 2: Episode 1

Just a short moment of your time
Somehow, I helped Freeman and Alyx get out of City 17 alive.

This sequel picks up from where Half-Life 2 ended, with the Citadel in meltdown and soon to become one huge crater. After an intriguing beginning, Alyx and Freeman realise just how much work they have to do.

Unlike the previous game, this one does not have as many puzzles or weapons. It was nice to play, just to see where the main characters ended up, but this game is shorter and leaves you on a cliffhanger.

All I'll say for now is that I had fun playing it, and that I really need to play Episode 2.

Related link
Episode 1

Game Walls (rant warning)

I've been playing games for a while
I've been playing computer games on a regular basis for quite a while now. Well, since the age of 13; I am aware that most kids these days have been playing them before they could speak, but basically my parents did not want me going near them until my mental abilities had developed a fair bit first.

What is a game wall?
Anyway. One thing that has irked me about computer games, especially ones developed in the West, is that they have game walls. Now you may be unfamiliar with this term (perhaps unfamiliar with computer games, but I can do nothing about that), but put simply a game wall is an invisible wall that a player may come across whilst playing a computer game, and it cannot be transcended, traversed etc... You're avatar may be happily walking around in a game environment, the next moment it can no longer progress forwards, and if you're lucky there's a message somewhere on the screen saying that you are unable to go that way and must turn round.

Now when you're playing a game such as Bethesda's Oblivion this is annoying. Sure the map on the map screen may have boundaries, but the map is not constantly showing. So if your avatar/character is happily walking along collecting alchemy ingredients and then you find you can go no further it jolts you out of the game. That is a pain, but what is more annoying is seeing perfectly fine, easily traversed landscape continuing in the direction you're not allowed to proceed in.

Oblivion is not all that bad
To an extent Oblivion had a just about an acceptable piece of logic within the game: the boundaries were where different countries met. So it's not the worst offender. I just don't like being reminded I'm playing a game as I wonder about a non-existent world with my non-existent level 26 sorcerer collecting non-existent flower parts for potions.

Fallout 3 is the same
The same has happened with Fallout 3, another of Bethesda's games. Now, I'm not trying to call out Bethesda on this, but they're the only two examples I can remember at the moment, and it is these two games that I've been playing regularly for the last few months.

Seriously, game walls are annoying
I just don't like these invisible walls. Now if it was an obstacle I had no hope of getting around, under or over, then fine. This is often not the case. Invisible walls just seem lazy.

I dislike game walls, because they take me out of the fantasy that I'm taking part in when I play a free roaming computer game. I understand that they're necessary, but that doesn't mean I have to like them.

Related links
Bethesda's official blog
Bethesda's main website

The Orange Box (pt. 1): Half-Life 2

"At first I was afraid, I was petrified..."
When I was 15 I tried playing a demo for a game that had already been out for several years. I'd installed the demo on my Father's dodgy Advent Win '98 desktop, the one with an Athlon processor from when they were of dubious design, and the hard drive that had died three times, DVD-RW drive once, and the graphics card once.

The game didn't kill the PC, but it scared me so much that I never did end up playing the full version. The crab-like aliens that wanted to mate with the protagonist's face did nothing good for my nerves, and oh how I felt that a wrench was far too inferior a weapon for dealing with the fiends that surrounded me.

I had no idea what the protagonist looked like, but from the appearance of my surroundings (a military-esque laboratory installation, with new residents, and blood splatters), I knew that we were in trouble.

In the present day
Seven years later and I've played through that game's sequel, I'm not as scared of the aliens now and what they do to hosts. I have enough gaming experience to figure out how to get through the puzzles presented to me, and shoot things in the right place.

It's orange and a box
What am I talking about though? Just what is this 'Orange Box?'

A couple of years ago Valve, who brought the world Half-Life, unleashed Half-Life 2 (again, it had been out in 2005), some more sequels (well direct follow-ons from the second game, but not huge games), an online team game, and a 'puzzle' game. They bundled all this loveliness into The Orange Box, which was available for PC, PS3, and XBox 360.

So inside the box you get: Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episode One, Half-Life 2: Episode 2, Portal and Team Fortress 2.

Awesome
After playing through Half-Life 2, I can't help but feel satisfied with a visually stunning game, a great storyline and fantastic game play. Oh, and I played it on the 360.

Story
You play as theoretical physicist Gordon Freeman, who mysteriously ends-up in City 17, in the middle of an Earth being 'raped' by alien forces. From what I can tell, things didn't end fantastically in the first game, and Freeman was presumed lost. Yet once in City 17, you help Freeman to find some familiar faces, and then fate sets about turning Freeman into the guy who is going to save everyone.

FPS and puzzles
There is a huge first person shooter element to this game, but unlike a lot of recent and old FPS games there is quite a puzzle element as well. However, you will find in this game that when you're fighting an enemy that seems pretty much unstoppable, you do need the 'big guns' and puzzles are not involved, only the question of where's the next ammo cache.

Save often
I really appreciated how the game autosaves at appropriate moments, but also it allows you the option to save the game whenever you want as well. I recommend saving often.

Weapons
The coolest 'weapon' in this game is the Gravity Gun. The things you can get up to with it are amazing. Throwing furniture around never seemed so fun. My other favourite tool is the 'bug bomb' you get near the end of the Sandtraps chapter, after all, who wouldn't want to be in control of legions of dismembering-happy giant bugs?

Essential gaming purchase
As far as essential gaming purchases go, The Orange Box for PC and XBox 360 is a must have.

Not scared now
So, I'm no longer scared of face hugging aliens, and I like bug bombs (you will too), and gravity guns.

Check back at a later date to find out how I fared with the other beauties in the box.

Related links
Official Orange Box website
Valve's official website

Guitar Hero III

Not normally my cup of tea
I can't say that I'm too fond of its current incarnation (my living room is not big enough), but this version has enough charm to be a good play.

It wasn't meant for me, originally
I bought for the Xbox 360 as a present for my fiancé this Christmas. Currently we can't put the wireless control down.

Normal playing habits
I tend to play a lot of games, but most of them have a story. Now this version of Guitar Hero (my only real experience of the series) does some nice little bits put in, mostly with still pictures that are quite comic book-esque in style. The two tutors in the training modes also add a nice air to the piece, but are the only characters that have any depth in the game.

Room for improvement
Personally, I think the game's career mode (that has the comic book thing going on) would have been better with cut scenes similar to what can be found in Tony Hawk's Underground (THUG) 1 & 2. In fact, this would be quite doable, seeing as how both series are made by Neversoft.

Dexterity issues
As to playing this game, it's pretty well made, and admittedly I've only have the dexterity to play on Easy mode. To get quite good at this game, you've got to have a lot of free time on hand.

I want a second guitar
The most annoying thing about this game is that unless you have a second guitar controller you can't really play co-op career mode or battle mode against a friend. So you need to fork out for another controller.

Party game
I do recommend this game however, it's a lot of fun to play. Definitely a party game.

Related links
Official Guitar Hero site
Neversoft's web site

Dead Space

Average weekend
So, I've had a busy weekend. Got all my work done for the MA, went to the cinema and completed this game. Beware spoilers.

Scary?
This is one of the scariest games I've ever played, and I'll admit that one of the reasons that I wanted to buy it was because of its use of third person, over the shoulder, perspective, which I liked in Resident Evil 4. Yes this is an action-adventure shooting game, but it has a cinematic quality that's greater a lot of other first person shooters.

Plot
Your character is sent on a retrieval mission with a small crew, to a huge ship that had been servicing an abandoned colony. As soon as you enter the ship your crew and you know something is not quite right and it goes to hell from there.

Replacement?
After been blown away by Bioshock on the Xbox 360, I had been looking around for another game to play that had a story full of twists and surprises. I had been waiting for Dead Space to come out for quite some time.

It didn't last as long as I hoped it would, but like with a lot of shooters the designers expect multiple plays to extend the life of the game. Me, I'm more of a story person so replaying this on harder difficulties doesn't really do anything for me.

In the end
If you've enjoyed games like RE4 and Bioshock and films such as Alien, Aliens and The Thing, you'll probably have a blast playing through this. Just remember to dismember and you'll have an easier time of it.

Related link
Portal to UK Dead Space website