All quiet on the gaming front…still

As of the beginning of this month I was going to kick start a more regular update of the months hottest games to keep me in some sort of routine for maintaining this blog. Having just looked at the release schedule though, there appears to be nothing of much interest gracing the UK shores at all this month, which is more than disappointing. I am excited to see that Deus Ex is finally going to be released, but that’s about all that’s coming out. Looks like I’ll be raiding the pre-owned sections of the game stores until things pick up a bit.

I have managed to get my gaming fix though, finally finishing Eternal Sonata a couple of days ago which called for much rejoicing. It took me four years altogether with on and off playing, but I got there in the end. Grinded my way through a seemingly endless secret dungeon, got showered with achievements for it (And rightly so!) and was then given the delight of a 30+ minute ending. It’s been a very long time since I completed a JRPG, especially one on the Xbox 360, that this 30 minute ending really did seem like it was never going to end. That’s what happens when there haven’t been any decent JRPGs released in a long time though, you forget what makes them magical in the first place!

In other news I went to the Manchester MCM Expo on Saturday. I dragged my uncle along with me for some moral support, and had a really great time. My report & pictures from the show will be up by the end of this week on TIMJ hopefully, so keep an eye out! On that note, I am going to leave you with a picture of my latest gaming related purchase. This is something I have wanted for a very long time, and the £45 I paid for it is more than justified.

Dragon Age 2 Xbox 360 Review

Article originally posted on This Is My Joystick on 05/04/11

Dragon Age Origins, to me, was always something that could have been brilliant, but just fell a little too short the second it started to take itself too seriously. I remember playing Origins very clearly; sure, there was some light humour here and there but it was always good to put Alistair and Morrigan in the same party if you were up for an extra laugh to distract from the heavy nature of the plot.

Until I played the demo for Dragon Age 2 I was expecting to feel the same about the sequel. I thought it was just going to be another western RPG filled with over the top lore, sprinkled with a healthy dose of dragons and magic. I am so glad I was mistaken, as this has now turned into a potential winner for my game of the year so far.

Dead Space 2 Xbox 360 Review

Article originally posted on This Is My Joystick 16/02/11

It’s been a very calm two-year break since Dead Space. Neighbours are no longer calling in to check on you every time they hear a scream, fearing that you are being brutally murdered. It’s that time again though, and Isaac and his pals, the Necromorphs, have come back to haunt our dreams once more, causing more concern for those around us as blood curdling screams rip from our throats while we get our virtual heads ripped off.

If you haven’t finished the original Dead Space, close this page down and do it now before you even think about reading the rest of this review. Visceral have not been shy about spoilers in Dead Space 2 , including vital plot points from the first game which will play a major role in the second part of Isaac’s story.

Fable 3, sequels and gaming regression

Article originally posted on This Is My Joystick 09/02/11

Peter Molyneux has always been a bit of a serial fibber, let’s be honest. First he promised us that Fable 3 would be fully compatible with Kinect; it’s not. He also promised that Fable 3 would be an incredible game and a marked improvement on its predecessors. While yes, Fable 3 is an improvement in some regards, I can’t help but feel Lionhead have taken a major step backwards with the series. As enjoyable as the new and improved multiplayer is, the single player campaign is really lacking in almost everything that was promised in my opinion.

Facebook Games – Gaming genius, or a waste of time?

Article originally posted on This Is My Joystick 28/01/2011

Ah Facebook, there are some who love you and some who loathe you. Some will use you for keeping up to date with old friends and distant relatives, others use you for showing off their recently toned bodies at the gym. A large amount of people will use you for entirely different reasons though.

Now, we all enjoy a bit of virtual farming now and then even if you won’t admit it. Harvest Moon is the most popular farming simulation game the world has ever seen and one of my personal favourites, but there are some new kids on the block now, and not just to do with farming. The best thing? You don’t have to pay a single penny for them if you don’t want to.