Archive for January, 2010
Assassin’s Creed 2 January 24th, 2010
The second game of the year finished and we’re just flirting with the end of January. This year has some potential.
Once again, if you’re thinking of buying this then go and read a review by proper reviews. These are just my rambling post finishing thoughts.
If, back in 1982, when I first started playing games, you told me “One day there will come a game that features a fully functioning representation of 15th Century Venice”; I think my first reaction would have been:-
“Why the hell would I want that?”
Back in 1982 I was much more interested in space ships. I’m still very interested in space ships.
It is amazing to see how far things have come in only a few years. It certainly only seems a short time since Grand Theft Auto gave us a fully realised world to explore. I suppose 9 years is quite along time but it doesn’t seem it.
To see that somebody has taken this principle and applied it to, what seems an accurate snapshot of history, is a sign of some maturity. To be honest my knowledge of Venice in the 15th Century is negligible/non existent so I have no idea how accurate it is. It did try and give me a lot of historical information but I didn’t really want learning to get in the way of the killing.
More important than the historical context is the game itself. Assassin’s Creed implements a control system that really gives a feeling of freedom. It’s great fun leaping across roof tops and swooping down from the skies to execute people. I did have some niggling issues to start with where I kept bouncing off walls but it settles down.
Interestingly I’d say Assassin’s Creed is by far the easiest game I’ve ever played. There is little reason to ever die in it and everything about it holds your hand all the way through. Usually this would grate with me but I still really enjoyed it.
Once again it is another game taken to the end and I’m not completely sure what it was all about. Either there are some serious issues about how much effort people are putting into game narrative or I’ve developed some sort of attention disorder. I wouldn’t discount the latter.
There is always going to have be some sort of moral contortion to get an assassin into a sympathetic protagonist role. I suppose the execution of your family might, in some vague way, justify a decade long roller coaster ride of murder. My approach to game play seemed to involve killing most people I met, particularly street musicians. I like to throw myself into the role.
So, in summary. Really good. Not quite as good as Uncharted 2 but it’s up there.
Posted in Finished Games, Games | Comments (2)
Ratchet & Clack: A Crack in Time January 21st, 2010
Do you know what I’m going to do? I’m going to record all the games I complete on here so I have some record of the massive amount of time I waste each year in the pursuit of……
What do I actually get out of it? Largely nothing but a sore wrist.
The first thing I managed to finish has been Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time.
I don’t really want to review it. There are much better qualified people than me that can do that sort of thing. Some of them are even paid to do it as some sort of job.
I have noticed when I look back on games I do tend to build a bit of a mythology in my mind about how good they were. This has the disastrous consequence that I play a bad game again.
So what did I think of Ratchet & Clank?
It was quite good.
It’s a shame as I’d been really looking forward to it. Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction was one of the first “proper” games I played on the PS3.
The Pixar quality of the animation was amazing. The characters were genuinely funny and the weapons were ridiculous.
The problem with a Crack in Time is that it just seems like largely the same game. It looks amazing and is easy to play but not really fulfilling.
I can’t really even remember the story now. Something about a clock and a man with a green head.
The one advance in the game was the time related puzzles where you have to make copies of your character to perform different tasks. I realise that makes very little sense when it’s written down like that.
That bit was good.
Well there you go.
Next will be Assassin’s Creed 2 if I finish it.
Posted in Finished Games, Games | Comments (0)
Last time I mention it…. January 4th, 2010
After banging on about my favourite albums of the last decade I decided to make a much longer list of my favourite albums. It’s probably much too self indulgent to go through the entire list on here but I’ve attempted to convert it into a playlist.
Yes, it’s yet another play list on Spotify.
Hopefully I can come up with more creative blog updates soon.
Posted in Music | Comments (0)