Game: The Last of Us (Single Player)
Developer: Naughty Dog
Released: June 2013
Influenced by: Uncharted, Zombies, the Cordyceps Fungi

Overview: Naughty Dog, developers of the Uncharted and Jak and Daxter series, take a turn at the very overdone, but not yet despised, zombie apocalypse formula, with the well reviewed The Last of Us. In Naughty Dog’s latest adventure, players find themselves following the journey of Joel and Ellie as they try to cross infected America, in search of something.

Story: I say ‘something’ rather than jump straight into just what the hell is going on, because The Last of Us has an absolutely fantastic story, which should be experienced by the individual and not spoiled by anyone, either on the internet or in person. The fact that I was surprised at many of its twists is a compliment, not just to the storytelling but also to how engrossing that story was.

What starts off as a fairly slow paced ‘this is how the world is now’ soon grabs you by the scruff of the neck and asks you to man the fuck up pretty quickly. You’re going to have to make some pretty shitty choices at times, although nearly all of these boil down to, it’s either them or us’ in terms of survival. The story introduces plenty of fringe characters, Tess, Marlene, Bill and David, all play their part and do so brilliantly. None are overused or there to fill a stereotype, and more importantly, they are just as desperate to survive as Joel and Ellie are.

The world that you find yourself surviving in, boasts so many little nods and clues towards what happened in the wake of a world-wide infection, that decimates mankind. Finding these clues and trinkets is, of course, its own reward, providing a level of detail that we’ve come to expect in these types of games.

Gameplay: This is where I was most concerned prior to playing the game. All the trailers and previews and commented on a game that was high in tension, requiring players to sneak, strategise and really consider their options.

My concerns were that the pace wouldn’t be kept up, the game would either be unforgivably difficult or it would just cater to the ‘casual’ gamers of the day and give them an easy ride, and that would detract massively from the story and setting because of it.

Thankfully, Naughty Dog stayed true to their word, and produced a title that is quite tough, but not totally impossible. My first sitting was on Hard difficulty and after the jaw dropping opening, all bets were off. It was made quite clear to me early on that I’d picked a setting that was going to screw me the first chance it got. Importantly, it was never unfair though. Regularly you will be asked to make it through an area swarming with opposition, whether it be the remnants of the military, controlled by what government remains in the post-infected world, groups of bandits, or the hideously deformed infected.

How will you do this? You could try and stealth kill everyone, with a mixture of strangle holds, shivs, bows and arrows and whatever else is (literally) laying around. Fine in practice but those shivs aren’t cheap to construct and if you’re discovered you could find yourself out in the open and get pretty badly beaten up. Plus people or infected being strangled tend to make quite a fuss (wouldn’t you?), so this can in itself attract people if timed wrong. Finally, you can’t strangle some of the infected enemies; they’ll rip your throat out or your face off just for trying – this is not an exaggeration. The excellently implemented ‘Listen Mode’ which essentially allows Joel to listen for his enemies will help you though. Think Detective Mode from the latest Batman games but both not shit or game breaking and you’ve basically got it.

All guns blazing then? Pistols, shotguns, molotovs? Well no. No not at all really, because I, at no point in the game had more than fifteen rounds for any gun. Fifteen. To put that in perspective, that is probably how many clips I get through in five minutes of Battlefield 3. The Last of Us isn’t taking the piss; this is the end of the world after all, so any ammo you find, you’ll be hoarding like some sort of war-crazed magpie. There will be many occasions, when you genuinely ask yourself, “Can I afford to use these three shotgun shells?” Best case scenario, you only use one or two. Worst case scenario, you miss all three shots and find yourself truly fucked.

Or maybe not, as using items such as bricks and bottles to create noise distractions can get enemies secluded enough to clear a path for you to either kill them off quietly or just bypass the whole lot of them. There is plenty to be said for a game that makes you avoid fighting, not because it forces you and not because you’re chasing an achievement, but because you freely choose to. Not many games can boast that these days, with stealth being handled pretty badly in a good portion of titles. Dishonored, for example, had brilliantly implemented stealth, but it was more tempting to use bounty of weapons at your disposal half the time. By comparison, stealthing through those levels is enjoyable but ultimately restricting. The Last of Us puts you in the driving seat, asks you if it really is worth the gamble and lets you deal with the consequences once the die is cast.

Dealing with the consequences of your actions, is something that can weigh heavily on you when things turn bad (and they will turn bad at some stage, believe me), as even the crafting function holds some devilish decisions. Whoever decided that collecting alcohol and rags can make a medkit isn’t a genius. Whoever decided that it can also make a molotov is though. What do you make? That medical kit may save your life, but then, equally, so might the molotov. Other items, all have the same problem, and why shouldn’t they? This is twenty years after the near extinction of our race and most of the valuable stuff is gone. You won’t be finding much, and what you do find you’ll have to use wisely.

Graphics: The next generation of consoles may have been announced, just prior The Last of Us being released, but Naughty Dog have managed to make the most stunning Playstation 3 title to date. This game has truly beautiful backdrops and locations, each boasting an authentic run down look. While some of the more rural settings have gorgeous sunsets and amazing scenery, it is the city landscapes that really impress. Buildings have lost their foundations, leaning on each other for support, as nature reclaims what it once lost. The game is broken up by the four seasons, giving Naughty Dog plenty of scope to show us just how brutal the new world can get, when things turn chilly. This also allows the developers to take us on a visual journey through the heaviest of snowfalls and the greenest plant-life. It almost makes you wonder why we’re bothering with new consoles at all.

Sound: Like the graphics, the sound in The Last of Us is brilliant from start to finish. Audio in any game is crucial and can easily upset the delicate balance in crafting a masterpiece. The voice acting is impeccable, Joel, Ellie and David in particular all coming across as exhausted, determined and creepy in their own way. Mentioning the word creepy, only leads me onto a type of the infected, the Clicker, whose noise you will come to fear so much, that you will hold your breath, hoping you didn’t just hear that gut wrenching, click, click, click.  The music is thought provoking and appropriate for the setting, and the tone set at the opening screen alone, was enough to impress me right from the off. In all honesty though, the highlight is the conversations between Joel and Ellie, the passion that goes into them and the general emotion behind the delivery of the lines.

Replayability: The Last of Us boasts a game plus mode; a rarity for these types of games, but one that is most welcome. Another smart move was Naughty Dog locking the hardest difficulty, Survivor, until after one playthrough, and making sure any trophy hunters would need two playthroughs to catch them all. I for one will certainly be doing this again, more for the challenge than anything else.

Verdict: I could sit here for hours and tell you about my experience with The Last of Us. There is so much important stuff I haven’t told you, the interactions with Joel and Ellie, the true terrible nature of fighting the infected, the visceral, violent, downright brutal combat and the feeling of despair and exhaustion that Naughty Dog have poured into every nook and cranny of this world. But I won’t, because for a fairly linear adventure, it is one you need to experience for yourself, to have those moments that make a game special, because believe me when I say,  this is one very special game.

Score: 10/10

This left Shutdown Reboot in a kind of no-mans land. While I didn’t want to abandon it after only a few months, I equally didn’t have the time to commit to it. I had made a decision some time before this, that my love for playing games would not be compromised by my desire to write about them, so if I didn’t have time to play them, how can I write about that?

Suffice to say, I’ve turned a corner, a lot of stuff has got sorted, and I can now write more stuff for Shutdown Reboot. This is important to me, because I like to have somewhere, where I can write, about whatever I feel like at the time. I love GamingLives to pieces, but on occasions it will be nice to chuck a few thoughts out about books, films, boardgames, and have somewhere to put them.

So to that end, I’ll stop waffling about this and go start waffling about something else!

May seem like an odd question but not everyone donating knows much about this utter behemoth. Battlefield 3 is a first person shooter video game, created by EA Digital Illusions CE and published by Electronic Arts. It was released late last year and gave the latest Call Of Duty instalment a run for it’s money. I’ll be playing the online portion of the game, against other people for the full twenty four hours.

When are you doing this?

This starts on Monday April 23^rd at approximately midday, looking to finish Tuesday April 24^th (hopefully) at midday also. I say hopefully for reasons you’ll find below. I’ve chosen to do from midday to midday as it allows me to get a decent nights sleep before hand and aslong as I can make it through till dawn the final stretch shouldn’t be to bad. Dawn will close to six in the morning and the natural sunlight will chemically assist me in waking up, so in the final hours that will help me no end.

Attack Chopper = Awesome

Who are you doing this for?

I’m raising the money for a charity called Special Effect. They’re a charity focused on using or modifying technology to enhance the quality of life for people with disabilities. They help people of all ages. Some people have been critical of my choice of charity. They see video games as a waste of time and feel that this is not the best use of their money. To those people I ask what they’ve done for charities they do believe in. The answer is mostly nothing because they don’t donate. I also remind them that this aids people in experiencing, what is now, one of the most fundamental and popular experiences in life. Regardless of their personal opinion video games are here to stay and I applaud Special Effect for the work they’ve done to date.

How are you actually going to do this?

This is probably the most asked question. There are plenty of things I’m doing to prepare for this. Firstly I’ve recruited best friend and superhero John Cleverley to assist me through the twenty four hour stint. He’s just become a father and he’s doing this on his rest days, so his time is precious. We’ll do our best to keep each other motivated and awake. Being a couple of hundred miles apart this will probably involve shouting loudly.

Both being shift workers I think we’re better equipped to do this than a Monday to Friday type. Tiredness and exhaustion is part of our line of work so it won’t come as any great shock to us. We will also have a large number of snacks and energy drinks to keep us awake. I don’t doubt there will be moments of utter despair but I’m confident we’ve got the right mindset and attitude to do it. There will also be other people dropping in and out through the day to assist. To those people I say thanks in advance!

It’s not much of a challenge playing a video game for twenty four hours is it?

Have you ever tried doing something for twenty four hours solid? This isn’t something I can take a break from and come back to later on. This is all to be done in one sitting. At most I play games for four to six hours a day, usually in three sittings. People do joke that I spend all day playing them but the truth is my lifestyle doesn’t really allow for it. The other shocking truth is that after about two to three hours in one go I need a break! It’s not that much fun being sat in one place doing the same thing for more than three hours. The challenge would be easier if I was playing different video games but playing the same thing for more than four or five hours soon becomes tedious.

Are there any rules?

This ties in with the last question. Of course I’m playing for twenty four hours can’t be taken literally. It just can’t be. I’ll need to use the toilet, eat and generally move around. In order to combat this I’ve come up with a simple list of rules that I think are fair but don’t detract from the task at hand.

Toilet breaks

Should be taken between rounds. Each round is around twenty to thirty minutes so there should be no danger of ruining my leather chair. If I’m on the toilet and the new round starts then so be it but it’s in my best interest to get back as soon as possible, for reasons you’ll see below.

Eating

To be done at the desk during play. Leaving to get food or drink is acceptable between rounds. (Someone’s got to let the pizza guy in.) No food should be consumed away from the desk.

Do not underestimate the power of pizza

Staying awake and alive

It’s important of course to stay awake. In the interests of not wanting to do myself any damage and not wanting to fall asleep, getting up, walking around and giving my eyes a rest is permitted between rounds. I can’t just get up and leave in the middle of a game though. The space between rounds can be up to a minute or two. There’s nothing I can physically do about that though.

Internet loss or an actual emergency

In the event that the internet dies the “clock” will be stopped. I’ll record the time and pray to any number of gods that it gets sorted as soon as possible. Should there be a total permanent failure then we’ll have to abandon the attempt and reschedule. Lets all hope that doesn’t happen. In the event of an actual emergency I’ll be abandoning play post haste!

It’s now onto the part that many of you won’t be aware of. The challenges. After discussion with John we’ve decided it would make the experience more fun and challenging to set challenges through the twenty four hour period. We’ve aimed for stuff that can be recorded in the online Battlelog so people can double check after incase they think we’ve cheated. The added perk is that failure to meet these challenges means we have to repeat an hour we’ve completed. These challenges apply to both of us.

Challenges

12:00 – 17:00 – Points mean prizes

As you play Battlefield 3 you’ll accumulate points. Depending on your style of play or the success of your attempts to win generally depends on how many points you get. Some rounds I’ve come out with thirty or forty thousand points. Other’s I’ve not broken the three thousand barrier. My average at the time of writing, according to Battlelog, is four hundred and eleven points per minute. The challenge is to get over fifteen thousand points every hour. Based on the above number, if I get that each minute I’ll be hitting well over twenty thousand points per hour. The catch of course is that there’s nothing to guarantee I’ll be hitting that every minute. At the start of the week my points per minute score was four hundred and ninety six so clearly there is some fluctuation there. That’s a joint score to achieve for both me and John.

17:00 – 20:00 Vehicle go bye-bye.

As we move into the late evening we’ll be focusing our efforts on blowing up as many vehicle as we can manage. That’s anything on the land, in the sea or flying through the air. If it blows up we’ll be making it happen. The challenge is to get a minimum of eight vehicles blown up an hour. That can easily be achieved in a round but some rounds don’t have vehicles. We’ll have to monitor that as we go and switch servers accordingly.

The idea is not to face tanks head on.

20:00 – 00:00 – Points mean prizes

A repeat of the first round. The reason this is being repeated is because any money we get donated that takes us over the five hundred pound target adds extra points onto the challenge score of ten thousand points. For every ten pounds donated we’ll add an extra hundred points. We made the five hundred target a couple of days ago so its now a question of how difficult people want to make it for us!

00:00 – 06:00 Pretty ribbons.

Each round in Battlefield 3 usually heralds a ribbon or two. These are rewarded for doing certain things or playing in a specific fashion. This will probably be the hardest part of the challenge. As we move into night we would have been awake for around sixteen to seventeen hours. We’ll be fighting natures influence to go to bed. The challenge here is to gain at least fifteen ribbons an hour. On a normal day I’d have no problem with this and neither would John. After seventeen straight hours this could be the point were it all goes horribly wrong.

06:00 – 12:00 Points mean prizes.

Back to the first and third rounds to finish off the event. Ten thousand points an hour (unless we’ve had an influx of donations) is still doable. That said it could also be the worst decision I’ve ever made but we’ll see.

For anyone who wants to watch the footage of me playing or see my slowly descend into madness there will (hopefully) be video links to the whole lot. Keep an eye on Twitter and Facebook for links as that’s still being organised. If you wish to join in on the day, I’ll be playing on the PC and you should give me a shout on Twitter: Chris_Toffer101

You can donate to and please, please do. It’s a very worth while cause. I say donate knowing that at this stage it’s going to make the points round more difficult for us. Here is the link to donate https://www.justgiving.com/battlefieldmarathon

Finally a massive thanks to a few people. Firstly Julie, my girlfriend for putting up this insane stuff and helping me get it all sorted. Then to John, who’s going to be sticking by me through, what will end up being, one hell of a long gaming session. A big thanks Nick Kay, who’s been pimping the hell out of this charity drive, trying to get anyone and everyone to donate. Finally a thanks to everyone else who donated. We’ll see you on the other side!

So naturally I’ve been spending plenty of evenings at the desk on the PC. Playing what you ask? Well starting at the more common end of the scale, I’ve thrown myself into Skyrim and Battlefield 3. Skyrim is a frankly incredible game. Anyone who suggests otherwise is probably failing to see the merit in any video game. When I did at Eurogamer I knew I had to own it but also knew there was no point in playing it on anything less than the best machine. The wait was long and painful but it was certainly worth it. Battlefield 3 continues to impress. It’s a testament to DICE that this has held my attention for this long. That said, having 6 friends to play it with certainly helps. Even if you have to give one your PC so he can play with you. You’re welcome Richard. Happy Birthday to.

Moving onto the less mainstream titles I’ve been playing, I ask that you at the very least, try the demo for Shoot Many Robots. It’s as straight forward as it sounds but has that rare ability to be excellent with or without a friend. There really isn’t much to do apart from blow the crap out of robots and level your character. Oh and get high scores. Ridiculously addictive. Like heroin, only without the obvious health implications.

As fun as it looks

Finally at the opposite end of the scale is J.U.L.I.A and Coloropus. One’s great and one’s not. That’s the bit about reviewing games they probably don’t tell you about. Every so often you’re going to get a right stinker. J.U.L.I.A fall’s into that category. Coloropus restored my faith in humanity with a colourful and intuitive interface. Check that out and you won’t be disappointed.

The final bit of gaming related news refers to my plans for E3. “I’m going” is the simple way of putting it. The fulfilment of a childhood dream and teenage wish has become an adult reality. It’s going to be the most awesome time possible and you should keep both eyes fixed on GamingLives for all the information.

From a non-gaming view I’ve been busy watching 24 Season 4, How I Met Your Mother Season 6 and Greys Anatomy Season 6. All are excellent and offering something totally different. Each season of each of these programs gets better with age. Miss them at your peril. After finishing off Mark Billinghams “Buried” I’ve gone back to Karen Slaughters “Fractured”. I’ve got no idea why I’m flicking between two series but it’s working for me at the moment.

The last thing to mention is a charity twenty four hour gaming event next week but they’ll be a bigger, better post on that soon.

So what’s the name about then? Well back when I was brainstorming for a decent name the word ‘Nexus’ strolled into my mind and totally fucked up the proceedings. It was one of those ‘Pink Elephant’ moments. Essentially after thinking of the word ‘Nexus’ I couldn’t think of anything else at all. It was literally imprinted into my mind. The world ‘Flux’ arrived after some tool was talking about the Back To The Future films. He was insisting that the ‘Flux Capacitor’ which makes time travel possible was a circle shape. He also insisted I was to young to be correct when I insisted it was infact a ‘Y’ shape. After requesting he took a flying fuck at the moon, I decided that the word ‘Flux’ was terribly underused in life.

Finally the word Koala. This the correct spelling for Koala Bear and not how I typed it into Google: Kowalia. Sound’s a middle eastern country on the brink of war. Regardless the name Koala was added after recently convincing a friend of mine that one our favourite bars had been re-named ‘Koala’. It had been re-named but I had no idea what to. The ruse was kept going for a couple of hours, until we revealed all. Giggles. So the name has been born from that really.

So there you have it: Operation Nexus Flux Koala. What’s it about? Well in a nutshell it’s a massive re-design of my Office / Study / Place where gamz are played and articles written. Why now? Well about a year ago I moved in with my girlfriend. I quickly identified a small room in the south wing of the property to have as my little space. In this room would be a desk, a computer and some shelves. Sound’s easy enough.

Truth be told that is what has happened. Just with a shed load of crap in there aswell. Further to this is the fact that the desk is / has / will fall apart in due course and my PC although not out of date by any means, Is struggling to keep up with the pace. I think the graphical demands of games such as Skyrim and Battlefield 3 have confirmed my suspicions that after three and half years it’s time for a new rig.

So with that in mind, a new rig has been ordered (we’ll save that for another post). I’m going to find a suitable desk this Sunday. I plan to completely change the layout that you see in these photos and find a good home for all the stuff on the floor (more than likely a bin).

Stage One of Operation Nexus Flux Koala is in effect. See you at the weekend when Stage Two: The PC will be revealed!

Lots of people have said that the bomb making mechanic is totally pointless and has been worked awkwardly into the game. I tell those people that they’re fools and need to live a little. What’s life without some casual explosions? The bomb mechanic is introduced fairly early on and doesn’t seem to out of place. It’s explained that it’s the newest form of technology, which I can appreciate. If it’s around now that gunpowder was introduced to the world, wouldn’t Constantinople look a little strange without it?

The problem with the bombs is that in the space of a couple of hours the world is saturated with them. There are quite literally bomb items everywhere. You pick up so much stuff and generally get left to explore how each works by yourself. This isn’t so much of a problem but for a brand new mechanic it’s a little over-whelming.

The way to combat this would have been to introduce new bomb types as you moved further into the game. Have someone unlock further discoveries as you go or have Edzio have to locate schematics for newer bombs. Once you’re about two hours in you’ve literally got enough bomb making equipment to sort you out for a good half of the game. Seeing as these things are introduced so early on, would it not of made more sense to stretch out their use a little? Maybe make them more of a special equipment option rather than being as common as a pack of throwing knives?

2. Loot, loot and more loot.

I like loot as much as the next gamer. I really do. Nothing makes me happier than finding random assortments of crap in boxes. What I don’t like though, is so much random crap that the boxes clutter up the map display. I cannot see any bloody objectives through the swath of treasure chests that fill the map. “It’s alright” I thought to myself. “At least they’re full of gold”. That’s another mistake I made. They’re full of bomb parts. Hundreds of the bloody things. I’m struggling to buy armour to stop me becoming holier than a Priest at Christmas but I can make enough bombs to kick start a new world war.

What I would of preferred is less chests, with more gold in them and perhaps they could be looked after by some guards once in a while? There was four guys guarding one chest. It had some bomb parts. I went round the corner and found another with nearly five hundred gold in. Seriously? What douche is handing out the guard assignments these days.

3. Inside the Animus

I understand that there was always going to be a big question as to how to carry on the storyline, given how Brotherhood ended. As far as I’ve gotten playing Edzio and Altair, it’s been great. I’ve not had any problems. What I do have a problem with though is the path they’ve chosen for that poor bastard Desmond. First person? Creating random shapes, while he talks about life on the farm and stuff. I’m all for back-story. This game practically begs for it and in the past it’s never failed to deliver. Puzzles I could get behind because if I got stuck I always had the option to cheat and I’d still be able to appreciate the lore.
What I don’t appreciate though is being forced to collect these bloody fragments just to unlock, what is clearly a low point for the series with these annoying first person jumping sections. It’s not helped by the fact that Desmond has the jumping ability of a rhino covered in quick dry cement. Seeing as he was clambering up the side of buildings in the last game this further just pisses me off.

Couldn’t we of just stuck with the puzzles? If we needed a change how about he has to piece back fragments of whatever he’s looking for by traversing the inside of Animus, ya know: Assassin Style. Third person, jumping and swinging around. If people aren’t happy doing that it begs one very simple question. Why are they playing the fucking game?

After a really lacklustre single player campaign, I’m pleased to say the multiplayer is highly addictive. The addition of the extra Battlefield 2 maps certainly hasn’t hindered what is already a huge game. I’ve started playing more games of Rush, which given a decent team can be loads of fun. Also tried the ‘Hardcore’ mode, which is essentially no health / ammo bars and weapons do more damage (I think, they seem to at least). While frustrating at first it does add another layer to combat, which is best enjoyed with friends. I’ve been playing this pretty much solid since release, apart from a break over Christmas.

Game: Space Marine
Format: Xbox 360

My latest Lovefilm arrival has bought a mixed response from other gamers. Some people said it was excellent and a great take on the Warhammer 40K franchise. Other’s said it was to short and picked holes in it, from start to finish. Ignoring any potential inaccuracies with the deep lore of the Ultramarines, I’ve found the game to be fun. It’s certainly not going to be anything I remember past sending it back when I’m done but there are plenty of worse games out there. I’m only about six chapters in, at the time of writing. It’s picked up a little bit story wise so I’m hoping it continues to grow from there.

Game: Assassins Creed Revelations
Format: Xbox 360

I started this just after I finished RAGE, at the start of the month. Much like Spacer Marine it’s been pretty slow going. It is VERY similar to the last game, to the point where I could of sworn some of it’s just been cut and pasted into the new game. Due to the fact that it is just that similar, I’ve not made much progress and I’m unlikely to given the current work load. It’s not bad but it’s very familiar. If the next game wants the series to grow they’ll need a totally fresh take on the subject matter.

Game: The Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Format: Wii

I’ve been enjoying this loads, something I was initially worried about when it was first shown off. I’m pleased to say it’s the most fun I’ve had since Wind Waker. I always felt like there was something missing from Twilight Princess. I’ll be damned if I know what it was though. I’ve just returned to the Forest area for the second time in the main quest. I really need to make some time for this and hope to do some next weekend.

Game: Trine 2
Format: PC

This is where plenty of my free time has gone recently. I’ve been reviewing this for GamingLives. It’s a great title and certainly worth your time. I would go on about it but I’ve written a full review here. So feel free to check it out!

Game: Magic: The Gathering 2012
Format: PC

Finally there’s Magic: The Gathering. The fact that I’ve sunk 34 hours into a card game speaks for itself. Highly addictive, great with friends and even a challenge alone. It’s not the sort of thing I’d usually play but after trying the demo I found it very enjoyable. This will be sucking some more hours out of my life before the months out. That’s a promise.

Game: Rage
Developer: Id Software
Released: October 2011
 Overview: id Software, most famous for the Doom and Quake series have stepped up to the plate after a long absence to deliver a brand new IP. Nothing will ever beat Doom 2 in my opinion. (I choose Doom 2 because Doom didn’t have a double barrelled shotgun. Anyone who says that isn’t the definitive shotgun experience needs to be locked in a room with a gun, Justin Beiber, and an Archvile.) id have burst back into our sights with RAGE, a first person shooter with sprinklings of driving mayhem.

Story: RAGE is a story about how you, a man from Earth that was, coming into the new world as the supposed saviour. The reality is that after a large asteroid hit Earth (at least it wasn’t a Nuclear War) a new power arose called “The Authority” They are essentially the new government without traffic wardens and garbage disposal service. They deal with kidnapping people who’ve emerged from ‘Arks’: pods of the best and brightest saved to help rebuild earth. That’s you by the way.

The story is pretty paper thin. It starts off well enough but takes several hours to get going, where it suddenly comes to an abrupt and rather open end. It’s almost like id got bored half way through and decided to ship the game at the point they’d reached. The majority of characters have zero depth or personality and tend to just fill the required cliché slot.

Gameplay: I had lots of fun with the RAGE gameplay. I’ve played LOADS of first person shooters. Easily approaching if not over a hundred, so it takes a fair bit to stand out from the pack these days. The HUD has plenty going on and I should think it’s actually easier with a controller (one of those rare cases) to cycle through weapons and items than on a keyboard. Combat is very enjoyable. You never get more than five people thrown at you at once meaning you don’t get a sense of being overwhelmed.

You get access to ten different weapons, not including stuff you can construct yourself. Each weapon has multiple ammunition types meaning you’ve got more than enough stuff to wage war with. Each is different and enjoyable. I love the fact that Id didn’t buckle under modern pressure to make you carry one or two weapons. Seen as that green suited Master Chump twat can’t carry more than a pistol and some grenades doesn’t mean we all can’t. As for the constructable items, they’re all great but Wingsticks is now my new favourite weapon and word generally.

The enemy AI is a blend of good and bad. I’ve honestly never seen characters react to localised shooting in such an authentic way before. I can’t really describe what it is but it’s easily one of the best features of the game. Very lifelike. As much as they are smart in terms of combat and flanking, they don’t seem to deal well with being rushed.

Driving those well publicised Dune Buggy types is fun for a while. It does get a little annoying having to keep being engaged by Bandits when your trying to get somewhere and the Authority vehicles later on are insanely overpowered even with all the armour maxed out. It’s not an awful addition but it’s hardly the pinnacle of the game.

Graphics: Wow. They look lush. There’s not much I need to say here. They look incredible. It’s easily the selling point for the game. The whole word looks amazingly detailed. There is a tremendous pallet of colours compared to other apocalyptic wastelands that we’ve been treated to. This is easily the strongest hand that RAGE is holding. Weapons, characters, enemies, towns, all brilliantly detailed.

Sound: Another strong showing for RAGE. Not as much as graphics but the voice acting seems to be fairly decent and lines are delivered well enough. Weapon sounds are spot on also. There isn’t much of a sound track to listen to if memory serves. However the general background noise of the wasteland keeps you on your toes.

Replayability: Fail. Total and utter fail. I played on the hardest difficulty available and thought it didn’t put up much of a challenge at all. The enemies might have been smart but I had such a plethora of weapons, items, grenades and everything else that I was a one man army. That’s not to say it wasn’t fun. This also isn’t a bash at having ten weapons to chose from. This is a bash at the incredibly linear gameplay and the insane amount of cash and build-able items laying around. Nothing was ever out of my reach and I never ran out of ammo.

By the second city I literally had no reason to go to the shops because I just traded and found what I needed. Trading in all the excess items I had gave me a large supply of cash. After the complete turd that is the last thirty minutes of the game, with no reason to replay and lack of a decent multiplayer I’d take this back if it wasn’t a digital copy. Those last thirty minutes were hyped up to be some big climatic battle but I was so over powered and faced probably less guys then I’d done previously. A real disappointment.

Overall: RAGE isn’t a bad game. It’s a fantastic reminder that Id software still have what it takes to create a fun, engaging shooter. It doesn’t conform to current industry standards and for that I’d personally like to shake the hands of every single employee from that studio. That said, Doom wasn’t known for it’s character development and story telling. The industry has evolved in that regard and RAGE shows that id are still very much learning how to find their place in the market with regards to that particular skill.

Track 1: The Legend Of Zelda 25^th Anniversary Medley
Influenced by : Various Zelda titles.

The album kicks off with a rousing, quick pace into some of the most iconic Zelda music. It’s very powerful stuff and gets you quite pumped up. It features music that makes appearances in multiple Zelda games. By far my favourite part of the piece is around five minutes in, when everything slows down and it bursts into the Dark World music from Link To The Past. That’s easily one of my top five pieces of Zelda music and it’s fantastically worked into this medley.

The general theme reminds me of the exploration and travelling music you get with these games. It feels like a very up tempo version of music you may get at the start screen, Hyrule fields, or generally any wide, open expanse. It’s a great start to the CD and well worth it’s place on the disk. I was originally going to award this a seven because while it’s great it does get a little ‘samey’ after repeated listens. I had to bump it to an eight though because the final three minutes are fantastic. The Dark World music leading into a more powerful Zelda theme tune pushes this up a few notches to.

Rating: 8/10

Track 2: Kakariko Village
Influenced by: Link To The Past, Ocarina Of Time, Four Swords, Twilight Princess

The second track on the album is by no means a bad one. Kakariko Village is a very famous place in Zelda history, making several appearances in the timeline. It’s music is equally iconic as that of anywhere else in Zelda games. Despite all that I feel that this track is somewhat lacking. I’m honestly not to sure what it is. I just expected more energy from such a well known piece of music. It felt a little flat and just didn’t feel like it fitted in right with the album as a whole. It could be because it’s placed second in the track listings and would have been better suited as an something midway or even towards the end. These criticisms should not detract from the fact that it’s still an excellent piece of music and a very important one at that.

Rating: 6/10

Track 3: The Wind Waker Symphonic Movement
Influenced by: The Wind Waker

After a lacklustre second track, listening to the mix of sounds from Track three is a real joy. It essentially takes you through all the musical pieces of The Wind Waker, from the initial exploration of Outset island to the first voyage on the pirates ship, right through to meeting The King Of Red Lions and onto some of the boss battles. It’s a fantastically varied piece with I can say is one of my favourites. One part will having you whistling along, remembering The Great Sea smashing against your first sail in your boat. Suddenly it’s all change as you remember your first encounter with a cel shaded Ganon. It’s all here and it’s a really brilliant track that focuses on and captures the heart of what this game was all about. If the final minute doesn’t have you whistling and dancing along then really your just dead inside.

Rating: 8/10

Track 4: The Gerudo Valley
Influenced by: Ocarina Of Time

Everyone remembers that part in Ocarina Of Time. Jumping that ravine with Epona and bursting into the Gerudo Valley. It’s music was very well suited to the environment then and it’s inclusion on this disk is not something to be missed. While it may go down as being one of the more overlooked pieces of music from that particular game, it is in fact one of the best. The Song Of Storms and Lost Wood music may steal it in game but here we have a re-invention on an epic scale. The piece starts off fast paced and doesn’t let up for an ear pleasing four minutes. The thunderous cymbal crashes, combined with the violins raises the tempo even further. After hearing this you’ll never think of the Gerudo Valley music in the same way again. It makes you want to go back and do it all over again. A fantastic track and possibly the best so far.

Rating: 9/10

Track 5: Great Fairy’s Fountain Theme
Influenced by: Every Zelda game. Ever. Probably.

After the heart pounding Gerudo Valley, the relaxing tones of the infamous Fairy Fountain sooth and calm the excited mind. This is why I think Kakariko was so out of place and would have been better served being included here. The Fairy’s Fountains are a definitive part of Zelda lore and are easily identifiable with the series no matter what game you are playing. As with many of the tracks on this album this is the classic music done on a much grander scale. It’s quite short at just over three minutes long but I think that’s intentional. While the music is iconic, you don’t spend an awful lot of time in the fountains. They are just places you visit often. The short track time does make it feel like you’re just having a quick stop to replenish lost hearts before shooting back off for another adventure. It’s a fantastically performed piece and while it didn’t initially impress me, I’ve grown to love it very quickly. Oh and kudos to the backing Choir on this one. They make the track that little bit more excellent.

Rating: 7/10

Track 6: Twilight Princess Symphonic Movement
Influenced by: Twilight Princess.

Following on from The Great Fairy’s Fountain is no small feet. I was a little surprised to see such a task handed to the musical score from Twilight Princess. I honestly wasn’t blown away by the music from the game. It was good but a very safe bet. I feel it could have been darker than it was, given the overtones of the game. I say all this knowing full well that I must of missed something first time round because this is another great piece of music. Much like the game, it does take a while to get going but when it does it doesn’t let up. Around three minutes in a burst of pace and energy comes from no-where and accelerates everything. It’s this music that reminds you of horseback fighting and galloping across Hyrule Field. It’s probably the most musically varied track on the disk. That does work to it’s advantage in some ways. You could mistake this as being from any classical performance as it almost tells a story within it’s music. It is that good. On the other hand it does have a couple of slower points. The choir once again lends their voices and doesn’t disappoint.

Rating 6/10

Track 7: The Legend Of Zelda Main Theme Tune
Influenced by: Literally every Zelda game.

This is my favourite track on the disk. Although there was strong competition from Gerudo Valley, there is no denying the beautiful crescendo that is this piece of music. I’d argue it’s more iconic then virtually any other video game music out there. It rises and rises, takes a small, short dip in the middle to build for an ending of epic proportions that never fails to get the heart pumping. The final minute and thirty seconds are pure Legend Of Zelda gold. There isn’t another track like this on the disk. It raises the bar so high that it’s simply ridiculous to have anything follow on from it. It’s like having Metallica open a large festival to be followed by One Direction.

Every single instrument is pitch perfect. Every part of the tune that you know and love has been taken and ramped up to it’s maximum potential. I personally thought the choir had performed amazingly up to this point. This track shows them at their best. It is simply incredible. It’s worth purchasing for this track alone. Before you ask: No. I’m not exaggerating. It is perfect.

Rating: 10/10

Track 8: Ballad Of The Goddess
Influenced by: Skyward Sword

Considering that the disk comes packaged with Skyward Sword, it’s only fitting that it does have a track included on here. To follow on from track seven is musical suicide in my opinion. I’m not one to judge though. You crazy fool track eight!

Despite the brilliance of the previous track, this piece is a fantastic way to round off the disk. It’s one of the main songs from the game and is an excellent piece of music. I believe it’s the shortest track on the disk at literally just over two minutes. The music feels light hearted and carefree, which is the feeling you get from the game generally. It’s easily the best track in the game that I’ve come across currently. It’s suitably epic but also equally subtle in it’s delivery. A great end to a fantastic product.

Rating 8/10

Overall this is an awesome product. If you’ve yet to pick up Skyward Sword make sure you get the special edition with this awesome music. You can’t pick it up in store elsewhere!

There are also a good percentage of gamers like me who just get over-whelmed by the amount of incoming titles they want. The previous post is evidence of that. It’s also a well known fact that the older you get the busier you become. Life’s priorities shift and time for your hobbies becomes precious. This becomes especially tricky when you’ve only got a spare half hour and you want to enjoy it rather then completing one mundane task in a game you opt for the Peggle, Plants Vs Zombies or Revenge Of The Titans games. Endless fun but with no real finishing line.

So what’s on my shelf currently that’s looking at me with the sort of disgust that some people look at the kebab that’s been left on the side after a night out. (I tried to eat that?) There’s not actually that many games on said shelf. As mentioned previously Digital Distribution has allowed some non gaming items onto said shelf. It’s also just PC games as all the unplayed console stuff sits in the living room.

In alphabetical order (because that’s how stuff gets arranged around here) I’ve firstly got Dreamfall: The Longest Journey. That’s the first and second one. I’m not sure which title is which because I got the special collectors edition. I’ve played half of the first game I think. Some of the puzzles were as tough as diamonds but it was enjoyable. I picked it up in Game some years back for fifteen British pounds, after hearing that it was a worthy purchase. I think I stopped playing due to getting stuck on a puzzle and losing interest. It’s a real shame I didn’t carry on because the second one’s allegedly better then the first. I HATE playing things out of chronological order so it was always going to be that one first.

Right next to Dreamfall is Fahrenheit (or Indigo Prophecy in North America). A very odd game that focused on narrative and player choice rather then gameplay, it paved the way for titles such as Heavy Rain. I got very close to the end of this title and I think I only failed to finish it because I leant the game out to someone. It then got passed to someone else before finding it’s way back to me some years later.

A few titles down is Hitman: Bloody Money, a game that I have a lot of love for. I’ve played it through a couple of times but always seem to lose interest round about the level with the Wedding. I’ve not got a clue why as it’s one of the easiest ones. Twice I’ve played through and twice I’ve lost interest there. They say third times a charm so I’ll endeavour to give it another go before the release of the next one.

Heading further down the alphabet we come to Stalker: Shadows Of Chernobyl. This was a release day purchase for me and well worth it to. For all it’s bugs and problems it is an excellent game with a fairly solid multiplayer to boot. I dipped in and out of it several times over six months but felt that towards the end the narrative just got to weak. I felt like I was walking in very similar locations, shooting the same people for little gain. It was a very difficult game but it was all the better for it.

I don't have the free time to orchestrate battles as epic as this

Still under the letter ‘S’ falls Star Wars: Knights Of The Republic II: The Sith Lords. After finishing the first excellent game I went onto play the second. I was initially quite over-whelmed by the amount of options before me but also noticed that it seemed to be lacking something the first had. A case of quantity over quality maybe? It didn’t matter either way because after around eight hours of gameplay, my saved file corrupted and I lost everything. To say I was pissed off was a slight understatement and I’ve not since gone back to it.

Finally there is Supreme Commander a game which makes most regular games look tiny in size. It is a behemoth of a title. It literally is huge. I enjoy it but it is just to big. Each level takes a few hours and I’m not very good at RTS games so it’s likely to take me a few more. After playing the first four levels I decided that it just wasn’t worth the effort. Everything else I was playing was taking a back-seat. I loved Total Annihilation and played it to death but there is a very strong argument for the case that bigger is not always better.

There’s probably a few other games knocking around that I’ve never finished. Some because I lost interest, others because I got stuck. There’s even one because It scares me far to much. (The Cradle anyone?) Suffice to say that hopefully with what I’ve got lined up currently, none will be ignored like some of these have.