[Blog-a-day] Day One

Right, this week I've decided that I'm going to create a new blog entry EVERYDAY this week. Starting with this one right here.

While I can't guarantee they'll all be packed full of goodness, hopefully one or two will provide a good minute or so worth of reading for you.

I've picked an odd time to post this, as I'm actually in the middle of trying to sort out the Blast Process podcast for this week. With Tom being in Denmark, Mike otherwise engaged and Ben unable to make it back to Crewe today, I'm having to call in reinforcements so that the podcast can go ahead this week. Seems as though cover has been sourced, so all systems should be good later this evening. Fingers crossed.

Speaking of the podcast, regular listeners will be well aware I've been busy playing iPhone games of late, barely touching the expensive gaming machines I've gathered over the years. This week however I've finally got round to playing other games, such as a couple of freebies from the 3DS Ambassador program (Fire Emblem and Super Mario Advance 3 mainly). I've also jumped back into Final Fantasy XIII, as I'm nearing its end (I think), and want to have it put to bed before Feb 3rd when XIII-2 lands. That's the plan anyway, who knows if I'll be successful...

Time to write out the news for tonight's 'cast anyway. Actually...have you seen our new Blast Process News Show on YouTube? Myself and Mike were trying out a make-shift green screen. Let us know what you think!

[Gaming] Happy New MMO!

It's been a while since I've posted on here...opppss...
Truth of the matter is I've been busy working on BlastProcess.com (whilst battling the hordes of customers in my actual full time position, of which I got a promotion..ahem..).

However, in the spirit of new years and all that, I thought I'd try to start posting on here as regularly as I can (although I'm pretty sure I said that last year, I mean it this year however...I promise).

So gaming-wise, what have I been up too?

Once upon a time I was a massive, and I do mean massive, fan of World of Warcraft. Their was just something about that game, perhaps it was just the mix of EVERYTHING..social interaction, fantasy environment, simple-yet-complicated gameplay mechanics. Eventually, even though I did dip my toes back in a couple of times (mainly for the expansions) I have now retired from Azeroth.

Alongside a number of friends I decided to take the plunge and enter the newest MMO, that is of course Star Wars: The Old Republic. It's very nice isn't it?

What struck me straight away was its focused class storyline. Having chosen to play as a Jedi Consular I very quickly found myself getting knee deep in galactic trouble with cutscenes and dialogue that made me feel like I was playing a single player game. It's very impressive how Bioware early on decided a fully voiced cast of NPCs was the way forward, and mixed with the dialogue wheel found in other Bioware games it does truly feel like your playing Mass Effect. Certain classes can sometimes only enter certain places which commonly start a conversation.

Obviously however, this isn't a single player game, it's an MMO. Even though Bioware have tried to make it seem like your playing a single player game with lots of other people running around your world too the way in which they have included other players feels just right.

If your hanging out with a Jedi Knight for example, and he heads into a zone that only he can enter to carry on a quest you'd think you'd have to stay outside right? Wrong! You can go in too! Well...as long as he allows you too, and you do have to be in a group with him. You all then get to take part in his conversation, and even get to have a say at what you think should be said in that situation. Very classy.

I can't really say more as I'm still relatively new to the game, which leads me to a problem with The Old Republic, and one I doubt I'm alone with.

The trouble with MMOs is they don't end. They go on and on, throwing new stuff at you to keep you playing. Even if you get bored with one character it'll give you a multitude of other characters to try your hand at. Bored of being a good guy? Why not try being a bad guy.

Back when I was younger playing Warcraft was great. Even though I had a full time job, my younger years allowed me to sleep as little as possible so that I could cram in more time in Azeroth. Socialising wasn't an issue ether, as most of my friends at the time we're in the same world I was running around in.

Nowadays though, I just don't have the time to sink into an MMO like I used to. Again, I still have a full time job, but then I also have a girlfriend, visits to the pub/general socialising, family, writing, podcasting and of course playing other games. Although I've got friends playing The Old Republic with me, due to other commitments every ones off at their own level doing their own thing, so no-one can really play the same bit due to differences in levels.

I'm not saying it isn't possible to enjoy this new Star Wars experience. It's fantastic without being a million miles away from what made World of Warcraft great. What Bioware have added works, and they've successfully integrated the single player experience we love about their previous work into a world populated by millions of other players.

However, for me, I can't seem to enjoy it as much as I feel I should...and because of this I'm not sure how much more of it I'll get to play. I've got games from last year that I really want to finish, and lets not forget new releases due from February onwards such as the newest Final Fantasy and the final part to the Mass Effect trilogy.

Kudos to Bioware/EA for a fantastic MMO, and I only wish I could spend more time playing it. Don't fret however, I won't be cancelling my subscription just yet.

[Event] Post-Expo

Wowzers...what a weekend!

As expected, Eurogamer was a whole lot of fun. Between myself and Processor Mike we got plenty of gaming done, footage shot and people interviewed. We've been posting lots of videos over on BlastProcess.com, but I'll link an article which has all the different bits and pieces in one big post once all the videos are up.

So anyway, what did I enjoy most gaming-wise while down in London?

That award, goes to Final Fantasy XIII-2.

Yes..alright...XIII wasn't the greatest Final Fantasy game money can buy, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Perhaps it was the new Paradigm battle system, the characters, the set-pieces... I did miss the open-world feel of other FF titles however.

Using feedback from fans, Square have opened up the world in which XIII is set, as towns/hubs return to the series. The battle system returns, however this time its been tweaked to include the option of summoning some of the enemies you've previously beaten who can help you in various ways depending on your Paradigm. For instance some will dish out direct damage, while others may assist in healing. After a period of time, your new little assistant can unleash what can be best described as a 'Limit Break' attack.

Further into the demo I plunged and soon came across another new battle feature, Quick-time events (QTEs). During the boss fight I came across points where I'd have to implement quick button presses to cue an over the top attack, thus bringing more interaction and action to the games feature fights.

Lastly, I'll mention another new companion. Well...I say new...these little creatures have been a staple in most Final Fantasy games. It's a Moogle!

He follows you around, happily chatting away (although I admit, his voice could soon become a little irritating), dishing out advice and so on. He also has quite an important benefit, and its because Square have changed something else.

While in XIII enemies were visible, most enemies in XIII-2 aren't. They'll randomly appear while your walking between point A and point B. What your little Moogle does for you however, is give you a moment to quickly get an attack in before the fight commences, giving you a Preemptive attack. Personally, I preferred seeing the enemies out in front of me, but I can fully understand why they've made the fights more random like the Final Fantasies of old.

With the more open, less linear approach to the game and the random fights you can tell Square want to entice some of the older Final Fantasy players back into the series. Along with the further improvement to the battle system, this could well be the perfect sequel...fixing its predecessors core faults.

However, some gamers who were left with a bad taste in their mouth after XIII may not feel the changes made are enough, and instead see XIII-2 as a cheap sequel to a poor title.

Me? Hell, I can't wait.

During our weekend, we got to meet some fantastic people, some of which agreed to appear on videos with us (see BlastProcess.com). I've got to give a shout out to Robin from Romino Games (the creators of Awesomenauts) for allowing us to interview him during the event. Hit this link for the video interview.

Another person I'd like to give a shout out to is Eurogamer.net's Johnny Minkley, who also allowed us to interview him. I originally met him briefly a few years ago at the last Eurogamer Expo to be hosted in Leeds. I spoke to him about my growing interest in video games journalism and he happily gave me some advice to help me along my way. Although he had a hectic event to run around, he still found the time to chat to us on camera, so thank you very much Mr Minkley! And if you click here, you can see what Johnny had to say about this years Expo.

I couldn't leave this post without talking a little about London itself. Man, that place is busy. Not a moment went by without a car honking its horn at another car, or a siren from a police car whizzing past. The pavements are just constantly crammed with people, and don't get me started on how busy the Underground is!

But, when all is said and done, I really enjoyed staying there for the weekend. While many people feel claustrophobic being surrounded by so many people, or frustrated by how busy it is, it all didn't really bother me. Perhaps if I lived down there and had to go about my daily business amongst the madness of London I'd feel completely different, maybe one day I'll find out.

Aside from my weekend in the capital, it's worth noting a week earlier I got to spend a few hours at GAMEfest at the Birmingham NEC. While I didn't get to play quite as many games at GAMEfest as I did at Eurogamer, I did get my mits on Zelda: Skyward Sword (which is looking very good, although the Nunchuck doesn't make for a great shield mechanic), Saints Row The Third (which is just, crazy...) and the fantastic Super Mario 3D Land.

Zelda Ocarina of Time is currently the only 3DS game I spend hours playing on so I lept at the chance to try out the latest Mario Kart and Mario land games. Mario Kart's visuals are incredibly sharp and the game plays as well as any of the other kart titles, but it was completely overshadowed by the other Mario game on display.

Super Mario 3D Land feels like the perfect combination of old school Mario Bros with Galaxy. The levels are fun and varied, the 3D works a treat and the gameplay is very addictive. It nods at some of the greatest moments of Mario games while still feeling completely original. It'll sell 3DS consoles, I have no doubt.

I also got to meet and have a chat with Xbox UK's community dude MrPointyHead (Dan Maher):

These couple of weeks have proved a few things to me, one of which is that I'll be skint thanks to all these videogames this Christmas!!

I did get to play a whole heap of other stuff, of which I've posted about on BlastProcess.com. I'll post an article with all the Eurogamer content up once its all online.

[Event] Final Prep

Todays the day... I'm off to London for my first event with a press pass!

This weekend it is of course the Eurogamer Expo, so along with Blast Processor Mike we're going to cover as much as we can! Interviews, first impressions...

If I'm honest, I'm a little nervous about the whole event, however I'm more excited than anything!

Over the course of the weekend I'll be posting Twitter updates via my Twitter feed (@telduruk) and via the Blast Process feed (@blastprocess). Also keep your eyes on BlastProcess.com as we'll have bits and pieces going up on there too.

Wish me luck!

[Update] EA Roadshow

Thought I'd just quickly post that I've written up an article about the games I got to enjoy at EA's Roadshow in Manchester last week.

Oh...and Deus Ex is worth buying.

That is all...