Assorted Awesome

Ouch. (Does it look real?)

A lot's been going on! With nice weather and chances to keep busy I'm relieved to be doing things. As you may or may not know, Dead Island Riptide, Star Trek, Deadly Premonition: Director's Cut, Lego City Undercover 3DS and Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen were released Friday. Dead Island with mixed reviews, mostly bad is causing people to look forward to other games being released. Thank god, because there are so many better ones this year! I can't wait for 'Beyond: Two Souls' (New video) and 'The Last of Us'. These are going to be masterpieces to be sure. I wore my AC hidden blade and waxed a cut in my arm for promotional reasons of course! It was cool because a rep was in-store for the day showing off AC4: Black Flag and we had to get as many people to pre-order as we could, that's why I wore my hidden blade.

Myself, Sophie and a few friends are all going to MCM in the London Excel at the end of May so we're getting hyped about that. Sophie and her friend Kayley are cosplaying to this event as Final Fantasy X characters: Yuna and Rikku. They're getting on well with their outfits and I'm busy making Yuna's staff If you haven't seen it yet, here it is! (See photo) It's not perfect, but it does the job and looks good! All it needs is a layer of clear lacquer to finish it off.

SOPHIE'S SISTER GOT A SKYHOOK, FOR REAL!! I mean we're all jealous, but at least I got to have a hold! So happy. It does look and feel fucking awesome when it spins.

The Square Enix online PC store has some sales so check it out! I may get FF7 for a fiver or Tomb Raider 1, 2 & 3 for £1.50! Just saying, it's worth it!

Also, if you like the show 'The Big Bang Theory', check out this artists re-interpretation of the cast as RPG characters! It's awesome.

Destiny

'The hidden power believed to control what will happen in the future.' That is the definition of destiny.

I can't wait for a story to grab me, take me on an epic adventure of endless tales and keep that grasp until it has finished with me. Until my fate, my reason of existence is satisfied. I want something where we all have our own individual purpose and can all work together towards one main goal. We owe it to ourselves to be part of something big.

I want to start afresh in a struggling world and make gold from dust, creating armor and smithing weapons. All of this can be achieved soon enough. Imagine - You’re at the Tower, a reinforced monolith that serves as your home. Here you can socialize, gear up, or group up and then aim for the stars – literally. Many other people mill about. Some you may know, some you may not. Some are making plans for adventure, but others may simply be watching the sunset.

This is Destiny, and we're all waiting for it.

Fire Emblem Awakening & Art Book

So my brother in-law Sam just got his Fire Emblem through the post today, a day early!! He also got the special edition art book! It's real cool because it was free with a pre-order. See, this is why you should pre-order people. Jealous much.

Bioshock Infinite 1999 Mode & General Tips

After finishing Infinite for the second time yesterday, and doing so on 1999 mode I feel like posting a few comments on here to spread the word! Take a read if you're in need of achievement help or just want to know about 1999 mode.


1999 mode is hard. No seriously, as stated before if you die and don't have enough money to come back
that's it! It sends you back to the menu, save deleted...gone forever! And you can't go back. So what you'll have to do is collect everything! Anything you find, click on it because you'll need the spare cash for any bits you come across. It also makes it easier if you're going for the 'Scavenger Hunt' achievement/trophy because it makes you save your cash, since you can't spend it on shit at the dollar bill vending machine. So save save save! There may be a few times in the game where you'll struggle if you're not great with guns, but be safe and take cover every time you're shield depletes (It's not rocket science!) :D

There's one part of the game where I seriously struggled when you're fighting 'whats-her-ghost-face' (No spoilers) three times near the end, because she spawns adds that will be brought back if killed. As you'd presume, just attack her head on and taking down the undead soldiers as they get in your way. CHARGE IS INCREDIBLY USEFUL!! Especially if you upgrade it twice because it increases damage, instantly recharges shield and makes you temporarily invulnerable, also there's a piece of gear that will make the enemy vulnerable if you melee. So charge, whack, shoot shoot shoot and the bitch will be half dead in seconds, rinse and repeat. But after a couple of tries if you're still not successful, you'll know the area and it's weapon tears, so if you fail you can quit without saving, upgrade one of them weapons to the max and continue effortlessly. Job done.

I still need to find all the Infusion bottles, Voxophones and telescopes for the sightseer achievement. This is troublesome because with the collectibles, if you know what ones you missed you'll have to go back to that point and continue the game from there in order to get the achievement. So lets say if you miss an infusion on the second chapter and one on the tenth, you have to load chapter 2 (or start a new game like in my case since there's no way I'm continuing on 1999) and play from there to get the missing bits, otherwise it won't count. It's easy to find out about the Voxophones and sightseer bits if you look for guides or have the awesome strategy book, but infusions are annoying.

There are 30 infusion slots to spend on health, shield and salts. 24 Infusion bottles are available to collect and madame Lutece gives you that one for your shield near the beginning, so 25 all in all. If you have the season pass, that gives you access to 5 more infusion bottles! Meaning that'll help towards the achievement straight away and you don't have to get every one in the game, but if you do that'll make you fully upgraded with 10 on each.

Also if you're a massive fan or just want to spice up your box, there's alternate box art ready to print from Irrational Games' website here. Pretty awesome!! That's all for now so happy Bioshock-ing!

Can't get enough of this song!

Bioshock Infinite - Review

IT'S SO GOOOD!! I am so glad that my friend Toby and sister-in-law Jodie got me into Bioshock in the first place now, because this game is a legend. Irrational Games have done such an amazing job on this truly epic tale and I highly recommend to everyone! It doesn't matter if you haven't played 1 or 2, it's thoroughly enjoyable and needs more attention.

About:
First person steampunk styled action-RPG, full of loot, guns and vigor powers being able to throw fire or blast people into the air, you can't go wrong. Available on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. Released 26th March 2013. Thankfully this is only a single player game, with focus spent in the right place.

Story:
In the year 1912 you play as Booker DeWitt, the protagonist in Bioshock Infinite. A male contracted investigator for matters both private and public. Tough past, lumbered with dept and enough skill and personality to laugh in the face of danger, he is hired to find and bring a girl back to wipe away his dept. Mainly the entire game is set on Columbia, a floating paradise city in the sky. It really is Eden, so nice that you want to live there, forget about life and responsibilities, then live happily ever after. Sadly, this isn't the case.

You find the girl Elizabeth, locked up in a tower eager to explore the world (Especially Paris) and all it's glory. She thinks she is being freed and gives you all of her trust, this soon changes and....well I shouldn't say any more. Elizabeth is such an amazing character, full of personality and helpful at every point in the story. The dialogue between her and Booker is so well written you develop feelings for her, knowing how she feels minutes into meeting her. If you've seen this video, about how Elizabeth was created from 4 women to perfection, you'll know that she makes the game whole.

Gameplay:
Free roaming first person style is where it's at in current action-RPG's. So you literally experience what the main character sees and feels. In this case, it couldn't have been any better.
 
There's a decent variety of weaponry in Bioshock Infinite, from a one-shot kill shotgun to a 'Peppermill Crank gun' minigun style. You have so much choice going through the game that you won't know what to pick first! Gladly, there are many achievements/trophies given to people that like to experiment with all-sorts so you won't go dry of fun. You can hold 2 weapons at a time, swapping whenever you find another, switching between the 2 with a click of a button.

Like the other Bioshock games, this still has powers, but in Infinite they are called 'Vigors'. Like the weapons, you can hold 2 at once and swap between them but can choose what 2 you want available by holding down the swap button. They are all effective and are great to use in any event, some you use purely for battle, some for convenience. Each vigor has 2 functions, the first just uses it, the second (If you hold down the trigger) lets you lay a vigor trap so if anyone walks into it, boom.

So as you may have seen, heard or already know about Elizabeth's powers, you'll be pleased to hear that
she can use them in battle to help you out. At any point (If available) you can get her to open a tear on the battlefield, bringing forth an abundance of different weapons, health packs, automated turrets or sky-hooks for you to swing from. This can instantly turn the tide of battle as I've relied so much on this in certain places, wanting a little bit of time or just a distraction to regenerate my shield.


Upgrading is very simple. As you progress you will encounter a load of vending machines specifically designed to upgrade your weapons and vigors. You use your hard-earned (looted/stolen) cash to purchase numerous upgrades for each weapon and vigor, you'll want to upgrade your favourite's of each first. I just splashed out and went with whatever I felt like upgrading and it didn't turn out too good! When completing side-missions or scattered in the game you will encounter infusion bottles, that you can choose to upgrade your health, shield or salts. Go with shield if you're on a harder difficulty or don't like combat as this will make a crucial difference in battle. Health doesn't regenerate, but shields do.

It begins with 3 difficulty settings: easy, normal and hard. I had the game on normal difficulty on my first play-through and died quite a few times I have to admit. It's not that it's hard to kill people, but I did mess up some aspects of the upgrading systems therefor making an impact on my performance.

The graphics aren't 100%, but that doesn't matter, if you've played Bioshock 1 or 2 you'll know that they can pull off atmosphere better than anything else. The textures, colours, lighting and contrasts in every room and detail is amazing though, simple yet effective because it's not overwhelming.

Infinite is so well laid out that it is easy to navigate wherever you are, and once again not overwhelming so you can go to explore and not get lost. The layout of each map/level in the game is well designed to every detail so you don't run dry of health, ammo or money. There is always something going on, and never any 'filler'.

1999 Mode:
When you finish the game on any difficulty, you unlock 1999 mode. This is a reference to System Shock 2 released in 1999. It doesn't just appear on the menu if you haven't finished the story, you'll have to enter the good old Konami code then start new game with that difficulty. If you don't know what this mode is, it lets you play on a much more challenging difficulty and when you don't have enough funds to re-spawn, you'll be sent back to the main menu. A load of fun for hardcore gamers!

My Rating:
9.5

DLC?:
What can they add for DLC? Seriously I wouldn't even want to change a thing about the game. If they have to create more content, I hope it doesn't ruin anything. It says on the season pass description, it adds more areas, weapons and characters. So is it a stand alone add-on with another protagonist, or just more side missions for Booker? Who knows. All I know is that I'm extremely pleased with how it ended, because it got me thinking and fulfilled my expectations pleasantly.

Editions:
Available at the moment are the standard £40, Premium edition and The Ultimate Songbird edition. The Premium includes some in-game gear, 360 avatar costumes or PS3/PC theme, digital soundtrack, mini art-book, murder of crows keyring, mini-figure and lithograph for around £55. The Songbird edition comes with all of the above in a massive, wonderfully well designed box with a statue of Songbird (Obviously) for £110. I pre-ordered the Premium thinking about what awesome stuff you get with it, but went for a bundle with a headset on the day because of the value for money. Since this bird has flew to the top as one of my favourite games in all time, I am seriously considering the Songbird statue, if I can get my hands on one!!

Super Mario 3D Land 3DS - Review

If you have a 3DS and want a fun game to play whenever, wherever you are, this is a game for you. It sets you off as any Mario game would, Peach being stolen by ass Bowser is! Obviously, the hero isn't taking any of it nicely and sets out on a path of destruction stomping on every gomba and enemy on his way.


There are a handful of new enemies, well designed levels and original powers that you see in a completely different light, literally. The whole point of this game is the 3D capabilities, and most of the levels take advantage of this having coins and enemies where you would need to pinpoint in 3D to take down. Within each level has 3 large coins hidden somewhere waiting to be found, pretty fun if you're a completionist, but rather annoying at some points where you want to just get further. You will need to collect these anyway because at some points in the game, you need a certain amount of these to access the final level in each world.

The other cool feature this game uses in conjunction with the 3DS is the street pass gift. Whenever you street pass with a friend, whether or not they have Super Mario 3D Land it gives you a gift in-game to pick up when you next play. These will be stored in a box at one of Toads' houses, and will be a power-up to help you on your way through. Another little secret (well not really), is whenever you die a certain amount of times on the same level, the game will detect that you suck for any odd reason (i always played before going to bed so i became a zombie) and give you an ultimate raccoon suit, so you can fly through and smash anything on your way to beat the level.

With 8 worlds in total and roughly 6 playable levels in each, levels taking around 5-10 minutes each this game really doesn't take much to finish. But it's not about just saving Peach and finishing the game is it Nintendo? Nope, this has so much re-play value that you can keep this going forever and, well hopefully won't get bored! Once you beat Bowser, there is a whole other world you get access to with a slide down the old green pipe. Not really a spoiler, but you do get to play as Luigi if you carry on in this other world, swapping to Mario at any point in the menu.
 
I know it's a Mario game and isn't really aimed at the elder/hardcore audience, but my only problem with this title is that it's a bit short. Probably finishing the first round and saving Peach in under 3 hours. I guess this is Nintendo's intention as it leaves you with a void that needs to be filled with another Mario game, hence New Super Mario Bro's 2. It was fun while it lasted and not really worth the money

My Rating:
6.5/10

Bioshock Infinite Hype! & New Releases

Bioshock Infinite released tomorrow!! This is one game I really can't wait to play from all in 2013 so far. Steam and some stores around the UK will get it in around an hour and a half. Lucky. When I went in to work this morning I saw that we had all the editions in and had a look at the Songbird statue, so jealous! I've pre-ordered the premium edition and just can't wait to get my hands on it. I'll take some photos and post them here to show ya. One thing I really want if I like Infinite that much, is the Sky Hook replica, wish we had some in stock!

As previously said before, out Thursday are: Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel, Lego City: Undercover & Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon. So this week is doing quite well between all consoles!

Next big releases after Thursday are:

2nd April: 
Defiance - One game that not many people are hyped about but needs some attention since it's taking all of it's qualities from some of the best games! An online co-op/MMO style sci-fi game that you can create your own character in any style with any skills using guns. Borderlands style co-op with an MMO style character creation, Halo style vehicles in a game that reminds me of Quake to be honest.

19th April:
Injustice: Gods Among Us

Fire Emblem: Awakening - It's done extremely well in the states and I just can't wait to get my hands on this either. Nintendo are on a roll this year.

26th April:
Dead Island: Riptide - Same characters, different island with more story. You can't go wrong with smashing zombies with everything you can grab. I just hope that the engine's improved because it wasn't the best, even in the DLC's. One other thing that's a let down, even after loads of complaints, they still haven't added split-screen co-op. Sucks.

Star Trek - The Video Game.

Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen - For those that haven't played the original Dragon's Dogma, now's your chance because this is includes the original game packed with loads of extras, weapons, areas and an option to swap to Japanese voices.

Assassin's Creed IV:
New news about Assassin's Creed IV: Black flag too. There are 2 new editions to be released - ACIV: Skull edition and Buccaneer edition available to pre-order on the GAME website!

That's it for now!