Games that are really going to hurt my wallet

So, I'm supposed to be going back to my final year of university next month, and having spent the last year in full-time employment, I'm shocked to realise that I actually won't have a steady flow of money entering my bank account to allow for random iTunes downloads and that random t-shirt that I thought looked funny but I'll never wear. More problematic than this, for a first-world middle-class white male, is that there are some SWEET games coming out before Christmas this year, and being a Playstation fanboy, my experiencing these games is probably going to take president over say, my dissertation or final year exams.

In any case, I just wanted to go through some of the games that will be gracing our, or just my, screens before 2012 when the world absolutely doesn't end.

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

So it's been a good couple of years since Oblivion came out, and Bethesda has come a long way since then. The Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas were amazing open world games that distracted us for months on end, and now they're bringing out the next instalment in their Elder Scrolls series. The footage and information release so far has got me obsessively hyped for that 11-11-11 release date. Here are a few of the things I'm excited about:

- The looks - if you have a look on IGN or any other reputable gaming site, you'll probably find a few trailers and screenshots for Skyrim. The ten playable races look great, much better than the slightly freaky features of the Oblivion crowd, and the scenery is mesmerizing. As a gamer who enjoys the aspect of role-playing, I'm all for just walking around in the forest, admiring a peaceful family of deer before inevitably being mugged by orc bandits.

- The AI - the Fallout games in recent years have shown that the AI of Bethesda's games are good for those who just want something to watch. Again, as I like roleplaying, sometimes I would just sit my character around with a NPC and see what he/she did with their day, and sometimes they would just stand around, while other times they would actually venture out into the wasteland for something to do. I like that element of gameplay - the idea that even if you weren't around, the characters would be continuing on with their days. That seems to be the case in Skyrim, with NPC's having actual roles within the communities they inhabit. You can literally watch a character work on a mill for a whole day, and if you decide to meddle with his work, this will have real effects on the community. Now, when you decide to go on a random killing spree, there are going to be some real effects besides there being a warrant for your arrest. It'll add an interesting dynamic to the gameplay.

- Relationships - This is a bit of a side note, but you have the ability in Skyrim to marry characters in the world. Randomly, I came across a story that you can marry characters of the same sex as your own character, and I liked the response that was given, which you can find here http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/119/1190403p1.html

It pains me to think that people would be so homophobic that they would fault a game in which you can murder innocent civilians with an axe for allowing a same sex marriage between a lizardman and a catwoman. 

- The levelling system - I haven't got my head around this completely, but it seems the levelling of your character has been adjusted from the Oblivion style of assigning points to certain attributes. It looks like you can improve your character's skills by simply repeating those skills; for example, using a one handed weapon repeatedly will increase your ability in using one handed weapons. Makes sense to me. They also seem to have added in the popular perks style system from Fallout 3, which is great.

- Dragons - Holy shit dude, there are dragons! And they literally pop out anywhere, so that brisk walk through the forest that I was talking about could easily be interrupted by a pissed off and dangerous flying beast. I also like the idea that after a gruelling battle with said dragon, I could quite easily turn around with my sword held high to find another dragon perched a few yards from me, just waiting to take me out in my weakened state. The reps from Bethesda have also alluded to the fact that not all dragons are out to kill you, which should make for some interesting gameplay.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Yeah so I played the Battlefield games and I didn't really get into it, I don't know, I'm not really a die-hard shooter fan, but the Call of Duty games hit the spot for me. The story of Modern Warfare 2 was a bit on the short side, so hopefully there will be more to see in this upcoming title, and of course the big deal is the online multiplayer. I've enjoyed playing Black Ops for a while now, so I'm looking forward to this one.

Batman: Arkham City

Arkham Asylum was a great game, with satisfying stealth elements and some iconic badass Batman moments, not to mention a great voice cast with particular kudos to Mark Hamill as the Joker. Arkham City seems to be adding a wider world to explore, more baddies to bust up, and hopefully more gadgets to play with. There'll also be the addition of Catwoman, which looks like leathery fun, as well as Robin, who definitely looks more like a cage fighter than a camp boy-scout in this edition

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I'm looking forward to getting my hands on this, and let's be honest, Batman is probably the only DC superhero worth our time. I don't like Superman, and the Green Lantern doesn't do it for me either. But that's probably just me.

Star Wars: The Old Republic


I have to say, I have avoided subscription based MMORPG's like the plague since they started; and the connotations of overweight dudes stuck to their PC screens has always made me wary. But I love Star Wars, and I love Bioware. The Knights of the Old Republic games were worth shelling out for an X-box for, and this game looks awesome.

The gameplay footage I've seen looks pretty sweet, but the thing that is really drawing me in is the promise of keeping the same Bioware storytelling that has kept all of its games at the top of RPG endeavours at the forefront of the game, despite being a MMORPG. In conversations with NPC's, if you are playing with a group, who gets to answer any questions or make a speech is randomly decided, with every player having the opportunity to effect the storyline in some way. The things that are bugging me now? Having to decide what class to play as (do I go for the predictable first choice as a Jedi, or a wisecracking Smuggler, a tough as nails Trooper, or do I give in to the dark side and kick ass as a Sith Warrior or a ball-busting Bounty Hunter?), and the niggling feeling that I'm going to hate the subscription fee. But I will have this game, one way or another.

Other notable mentions


Lord of the Rings: The War in the North - I'm a LOTR fan as well, and I like the idea of another RPG, seeing as Lord of the Rings: The Third Age on the PS2 was pretty good
Dead Island - I've seen a lot of talk about this game, the previous instalments kind of passed me by, but might be worth a look
X-Men: Destiny - Another RPG with another popular franchise; will it be worth shelling out for? My wallet is already getting raped here
Uncharted 3 - Looks awesome and will likely continue epic platforming
Assassins Creed Revelations  - I'm interested to see how Ezio will manage, as he's meant to have aged considerably since his first outing.
Mass Effect 3 - Won't be coming out until March next year, but I cannot wait to jump in with the Normandy again and save Earth from the Reapers!

Happy gaming!

July through to August...mostly

Yessssss it has been a long time since I wrote anything in this blog so you will have to forgive me is I have missed out some of the things that have happened since my last post. I can give you a quick run down of the news before I go on to a few reviews, just in case you have been living under a rock.

London Riots

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Holy crap. Yes, riots took over London and a lot of England...I say riots, what I mean is opportunistic arseholes messing up the towns they live in and screwing over local businesses for a new TV or some new trainers. Scary, scary times.

Steve Jobs

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Steve Jobs has stepped down as CEO of Apple, which is a shame but everyone knows he had some personal issues to deal with. He'll still be around, but he's done amazing things with Apple, particularly in the last decade or so.

And Now the Films

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

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Synopsis: Well, a guy takes home a baby ape who turns out to be really smart, but because apparently everyone else in the world is a dick the baby ape prefers to live with its own kind and kick-starts an ape revolution.

Who?  James Franco (127 Hours, Pineapple Express), Andy Serkis (Lord of the Rings, King Kong), John Lithgow (3rd Rock from the Sun, Shrek), and of course, the lovely Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire)


See it with: A partner or a good guy mate - the girls will like James Franco and the bond he has with the main ape, and guys will like the action and seeing a massive gorilla take out a helicopter.

All in all, the film was entertaining, without being mind-blowing. The relationship that James Franco has with his little ape friend is touching but not so much that it's heart-warming, and the action is good but not on the epic scales that it could have been. Andy Serkis did an amazing job as usual, making each chimpanzee move as realistically as possible. The acting was pretty solid, minus perhaps a few odd characters. It looks like film that could be a good start to a trilogy, as a sequel is almost certainly in the pipeline. If you were excited by the trailer, you will like the film.

Overall:  7/10

The Good: Good cast, apes looked very realistic, and there weren't any moments where you weren't interested in what was going on
The Bad: Not jaw-dropping, could have been more action, and you weren't THAT emotionally connected to some of the characters.
The Ugly:

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Freida Pinto - good God, will you please marry me?



Cowboys and Aliens

Synopsis: Well....there are Cowboys...and Aliens. And Olivia Wilde. Basic story is one cowboy has a magic thingy on his wrist, and he helps other cowboys fight aliens.

Who:  Daniel Craig (Layer Cake, Casino Royale), Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars: Original Trilogy), Olivia Wilde (House M.D., Tron: Legacy), Sam Rockwell (The Green Mile, Iron Man 2) and other actors and actresses that will make you say 'oh, I know them'.

See it with:  Anyone who wanted to see it as much as you do. If you take someone who hasn't heard about the film, they probably won't enjoy it as much as you will, and if you're anything like me you'll be irritated by the constant "What, this doesn't make sense!"

I liked this film, but I could be biased due to my love of Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig. Cowboys and Aliens is a literal film - it is a film just about Cowboys and Aliens. You aren't going to get some Inception style plot, or a Million Dollar Baby emotional response, but you will be entertained. The action is pretty sweet, the cast give their usual shining performances, and you'll probably be satisfied in the end, but only if you don't go into this movie expecting an Oscar worthy film. It's good fun, and I liked it, despite some genuine 'woah, wtf?' moments.

Overall: 6/10

The Good: The cast give performances worthy of their calibre, and I mean, come on, it's Indiana Jones and James Bond beating up Aliens.
The Bad: It was a fun movie, but pretty forgettable. Something you can rent to pass the time, but wouldn't really sit down to watch again and again. It did make me want Westerns to make a major comeback, however.
The Ugly:

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Yes please. I would abduct her any day of the week...wait...scratch that.

Captain America

Synopsis: A rush to get Captain America done so they can quickly get started on the Avengers movie. But really, The First Avenger is about a young wannabe soldier who is plagued with a body that is too small for his head (literally) until he gets pumped with some stuff to make him a super soldier. Woo! America!

Who: Chris Evans (The Fantastic Four, Sunshine), Tommy Lee Jones (Men In Black, No Country for Old Men), Hugo Weaving (Lord of the Rings, V for Vendetta) and seriously loads of other actors that I really like from various shows, films and such.

See it with:  The duuudddeeesss; it has the action and explosions that one would expect from a superhero movie, but maybe make sure you see it with someone who has a vague knowledge of the Marvel universe or else a lot of it may go over their heads.

So really, we all know that this movie should have been done ages ago, and we're all waiting for the Avengers movie to come out. That's why, like the Thor film, I left feeling like it was sort of rushed. It wasn't because the movie itself was poor quality or suffered from speedy pacing, it just felt like they're trying very hard to quickly tie in everything to the Avengers movie that will hopefully grace our screens next year. And that's okay, I've seen the Iron Man  and Thor films, so I was up to speed, but there was a lot of stuff in there that would have passed casual movie-goers by. I also still don't understand why Chris Evans was given the role - he's a good actor and all that, but he's the Human Torch!? He can't be both! It's a slight nit-pick, but it aggravated me nonetheless. But onto the film itself. The action was good, and I, not being a general fan of Captain America, was impressed with the characters and definitely feel I have been missing out. When I got home I had to search Neal McDonough's (Band of Brothers) character and it looks like they've gone to a great effort to add in some of the minor but much loved characters into this film, which can only raise hopes that the Avengers film will have one of the best casts of all time. We can only wait.

Overall: 7/10
The Good: Good cast, good action, funny at times, got me hyped for 2012 blockbusters.
The Bad: If you didn't already know some of the material from both comics and previous films, a lot of the plot devices might go over your head, and you'll probably find you have to go back and watch every tie-in movie to get the full picture. Also, at some points the pacing slowed the movie right down, and we were introduced to a bunch of characters that we didn't have time to develop a bond with.
The Ugly:

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New hottie to look out for!



And finally, a movie that I saw most recently and really impressed me;


The Guard

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Synopsis: An Irish police officer, or Garda, with a taste for alcohol and prostitutes, is pulled into an investigation into drug smuggling around his home town with the appearance of an FBI agent.

Who:  Brendan Gleeson (In Bruges, Gangs of New York), Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda, Oceans 11,12 and 13), Mark Strong (Kick-Ass, Robin Hood)

See it with:  I'm not sure, someone mature - the film is witty and funny, but not in the same way that the Inbetweeners movie is witty and funny.

I loved this film. The only reason I saw it is because I randomly saw a poster advert which showed Don Chealde and Brendan Gleeson, and I was sold. I love the actors, and the pairing interested me. The film plays out like a Western in a cold and dreary Ireland mixed with a buddy-cop style of film, with some great dialogue and a lovable main character. Brendan Gleeson plays a slightly belligerent and crass garda, while Don Cheadle plays the straight and narrow FBI agent, and they bounce off together superbly. Don Cheadle has the role of a slightly perplexed foreigner in a very simple and easy-going part of Ireland, and he plays it well, highlights including his bemused responses to some of the inane questions he is asked by the Irish populace. It was slow to start, but once you were into it you were hooked, and every piece of the story was well woven together for the finale. To steal a quote from the movie, this film is "Motherfuckin' Smart". See it and you won't be disappointed.

Overall: 9.5/10
The Good: Great cast, very funny, interesting story and great dialogue. If you liked In Bruges or films of that ilk, then you will like this film.
The Bad:  The ending just makes you want more, but that isn't really a negative point
The Ugly: There isn't much to see, except for....

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 Yeaaaahhhh



Until next time peeps