Video Games

Been playing through Syndicate... seems good so far.

It's nay top down pyew pyew, but it's pretty good fun. You don't seem quite as powerful as you should (IMO), and the power up tree is no deus ex...

Wargame: EE is good - very detailed. A tiny bit buggy on load screens (freezes from time to time so requires a restart of the .exe)

But I'm not REALLY enjoying it. It's a bit of a chore. I think I'd enjoy the multiplayer, and the single player generic battles could be good - though I think the concept of resource gathering in the game is a bit shit (if realistic) that said I'm impressed by the notion of re-supplying your units.

I think the problem is it's TOO realistic. It's sim-like and very very challenging - which when you're against a computer opponent that can read the map easily and quickly makes it quite tough - there are certain things that make it much easier for you, but given the diversity of units and landscapes you have to work that much harder than the AI.

I'm not adverse to a challenge in a game, but having to monitor every single missile fired by an anti-tank infantry unit that only carries six rockets sucks - especially when the reason you have to keep an eye on them is because they're so inaccurate and eager to get into the fight so they shoot at the very outer limit of their range giving you what feels like a 1 in 10 chance of hitting.

The campaign also gives you some pretty unrealistic time limits for bonus objectives. For example having to fight carefully to one side of a map but at the same time having to fight carefully to the other two sides - all within a time limit, a bullet limit, a fuel limit, all the while getting fucked up by enemy units that are embedded in buildings or woods or other areas with high cover and protection.

One last point regarding performance might be that it auto-adjusts graphics settings according to hardware (as most games do these days - fine) but it's set my to be extremely low so that when you zoom in past a certain point, i.e. to a stage where it's actually a useful distance, objects start to disappear. And the units themselves look like rudimentary blocks of green - no texture or definition. I know the specs are better than that and to enjoy the game so it at least looks ok, it needs to be so zoomed out that you can't make out any detail.

Thought gone into it: 9/10
Enjoyment got from it: 6/10

Game are about to go tits up.
EA are not supplying and new games after SSX, and I heard Nintendo will nor be either.
On the plus side, I used my points I had accumulated to buy bioshock 2 for 13p from game online
And fifa 11 for 72p from gamestation.

Shame.

Wonder who will buy their stores and stock? They isn't really another competing high street video game store is there? Not on the scale of Game..

Wonder where the biggest loss is - things like Steam and console equivalents? I.e. no one buys hard copies of games any more?

"Game has offered a £5 voucher, as a gesture of goodwill to customers who had pre-ordered Mass Effect 3" - press

fucking hell - that was a bit daft, no?

Game are about to go tits up.
EA are not supplying and new games after SSX, and I heard Nintendo will nor be either.
On the plus side, I used my points I had accumulated to buy bioshock 2 for 13p from game online
And fifa 11 for 72p from gamestation.

HA! I saw the first nail in the coffin back 7/8/9 years ago when they started drastically cutting back on the number of PC games in stores, did nothing to fight for more reasonable game prices, and over half of their in-store stock suddenly became Nintendo fucking DS and PlayStation.
Even their bargain bucket pc section (which makes up 95% of their selection) has gone downhill, where-as you used to be able to find a lot of old gems.

They've had enough time to sort it out - if they go under I just hope it means a new, better managed company fills the void.

Last time I checked online they STILL hadnt put ANY details on games. Not a single description or pc spec requirement. How do they expect people to buy blind?

Exactly why, as PC gamer over console, I buy online through Steam or Origin.

Heard rumours about grainger games* buying them out, but more likely they will be the vultures pecking at the corpse of Game.

*northern chain of game shops

If I have the misfortune to be there, I pop into Game on Oxford St for the odd Nintendo DS or Wii game, as it is right by my bus stop.
But for PC games I'm all about Steam. For one thing you don't get all that "You must insert the game disc even though you installed everything to your hard drive"

What about consoles though? I didn't think that they were there yet in terms of downloading to hard drive - I thought people still bought the discs in great numbers?

I just don't see how Game can't be so inept as to be going under in an industry worth more than the movie business.

Shops aren't *that *expensive to run and staff. I understand supermarkets often do cheap deals and of course the Plays and Amazons of the world, but still - seems a bit of a fumble from Game.

Isn't OnLive on consoles? I think hard copies of any digital media are going extinct.

Hmm seen it coming for a while I think with Game, I buy most of my PC games from Steam now, the sales which they have are such a good price I no longer need to buy a PC game at full price.

As for xbox games, most of the time they can be had for cheaper on line. The next gen of consoles will probably be direct download anyway.

Isn't OnLive on consoles?

I think there is a specific box you can buy, or use your PC. Not used it, but it looks promising for the future?

In other news, SSX out tomorrow! That's friday night sorted! Loved SSX on the PS2

I have an OnLive console... it's ok. The picture quality is not the same as a pc/ps3/xbox even with a 35meg connection. That said, it does work and is pretty impressive

Nothing compares to playing on the PC for quality though to be honest. If more of my friends played the PC more I'd play that all the time. But as it happens the majority own xbox so we play that.

Also I'm thinking about playing the sims again, damn I love that game.

need to take my mind off things today, installed c&c generals/zero hour. goodbye world for the next few weeks.

C&C Generals damn I love that game, equally as much as Red alert 2.

C&C! I need to play it again.

I'm going to start gaming again, need to take my mind off stuff and stop second guessing shit. Tonight is probably more Uncharted 3... I'm trying to get the new Jax & Dexter HD to review but I'm sure a lot of people will be fighting for it

Colleague just dropped three grand on a gaming rig last night. Wife's gonna kill him when she finds out.

His wife, not mine. Mine couldn't care less.

you have a wife ? I've heard about these fable creatures

Only in my fervent imagination.