Captain Wizard

Gangstas in Space (SR3 DLC) - Review

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie McDonald) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 19:28:15 PST

Saints Row 3 is still one of my favourite games of 2011. It didn’t give me the play time or in depth enjoyment that number 2 did, however it gave me 35 hours of the craziest, funniest gameplay I have come across. I have to agree with many other critics however who say that much of the context of the side missions was missed out of SR3. It came across as more of a ‘drop in and play’ style, rather than a semi rpg vibe that number 2 gave us. This was one of my disappointments of the first DLC pack ‘Genkhi Bowl VII’. Although it was a fun couple hours of gaming in some fun new activities, I honestly had no idea why I was even on this game show and what the rewards of winning it was. What would the 3rd row saints leader gain by being humiliated and toyed with on some crazy japonease take the piss game show?

The latest DLC (Released about 3 hours ago on Xbox Live) brought much more of a fun story to the missions that I wanted. It reminded me of some of the crazy missions in SR2 which may of been ridiculous, but at least they gave you a reason for doing it. In this case you get a phone call from film Director and Producer Andy Zhen. He wants you to star in a film based around gangsters kickin alien ass. The DLC moves over 3 separate missions with your wing man being a purple lady alien actor called Jenny who gets treated like shit by Andy Zhen, and in turn starts to fight back. I’m sure Lizzy Caplan does the voice of Jenny however I can’t seem to find any credit for this anywhere. Whoever did the voice did a great job. The missions are typical Saints Row, the first being a guardian angel style car chase. Then going into the second being run about in a building blowing shit up mission and the third is a air dog fight and stunt level. The missions were fun and were funny. Saints Row is known for it’s dialogue and that’s what kept this rolling for me, lots of action with witty comments over the top.

The DLC cost 560 MS points (about £4.76 in real money) or is part of the Season Pass which gives you three DLC packs (one yet to be released) for 1600. This still makes it 533 points if you ignore the useless crap you will never use which comes with the season pass. I completed this (including the 100 Gamerscore which is added to the game) in about an hour and 15 mins. This isn’t particularly impressive considering it has no direct replayability. I would enjoy the missions again if I played through the game a second time but considering I’ve spent 35 hours on this save game, I’m not planning to start again anytime soon. I also have to criticise the achievements in a big way. Firstly they are stupidly easy, for example find 6 ‘hidden’ clapper boards which are actually right in front of you in the 2nd level. Secondly you have cumulative achievements which aren’t high enough to be bothersome, for example kill 35 enemies with the laser gun when you encounter about 60 in the sequence. Thirdly my biggest gripe with them was that I missed the jump target (because I’m crap) so missed that achievement, then found I had no way of replaying the level. Unless there is a way of replaying past levels which I don't know about (apologies if there is) this and a couple others are ridiculous. You can easily miss a couple if you hadn’t known about them in the first place and then would have to start a new game just to whore the last few achievement. You would think that the one of the game designs of achievements is to promote more play through if you missed them the first time, not just punish the player who messed up and wants to try again. I had a second saved game which was a female character (for the main game achievement) and to get the other ‘choice’ achievement at the end of act 1, so I loaded up this in hope I could start the DLC straight away. I could which was a breath of fresh air as I got that last niggling achievement within a few minutes.

To sum it up I did enjoy playing this DLC. I love the game as a whole and thought this was a fun extra hour on top. It’s great to see small DLCs being churned out regularly as it brings me back to the game once a month. It is however pricey which Is most likely the choice of THQ and not Volition. I had a couple arguments with the achievements but am contempt with my extra 100 gamer score. Lets give it 6/10 because it made me laugh and was fun to play, however lacked in length for the price.

To buy this DLC visit it’s xbox marketplace page here It’s also available on the PS3 and PC versions of the game.

To see more info check out the Saints Row Official Page

Here march the Necrons

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie McDonald) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 18:18:37 PST

In the late parts of 2011 Games Workshop re-released one of their most under developed but arguably most brilliant races in the 41st millennium. I remember when the Necrons were first released and there was a free metal figure on my copy of White Dwarf as it came through my letter box. The idea of a Undead (from Warhammer Fantasy) style army but in the form of terminator-esque robots was more than cool. This release in my opinion has been far to over due. The Necrons in the modern 40k world were considered quite boring and fairly expensive to collect. The new plastic kits and the new finecast models have given a much more appealing and fuller army options for these slumbering killing machines. I brought the Codex on its release date and treated myself to some warriors and an annihilation barge kit to kick start my new army. I was looking to start a new army as my Space Orks had hit the 6500 point mark so wanted to try something new. As my Orks were a close combat based army I thought it was time to try a race based around long distance combat instead of the crude hacking and slashing I am normally used to. I did consider Imperial Guard but have personal issues and vendettas against the imperium. As soon as I saw the new Necrons my mind was made up instantly. These bad boys have the ability to destroy space marines in a few shots, but also have the capability to defend themselves if assaulted by a waaagh of 150 orks. I haven't had a chance to actually play as my Necrons as I am still painting and modelling them, however I have 1032 points and look forward to marching them forward. The battle force is being released soon so I will add even more to my force and am planning on making some cool scenery so will keep you all posted.

To check out the what’s available for Necrons see the Games Workshop Website

Read more about the Necrons on the Warhammer 40,000 Wikia

40,000 - woot woot

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie McDonald) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 14:46:39 PST

Just to let everyone know that I’ve reached 40000 Gamer Score on Xbox/GfW/WP7 Live….whoop whoop

Windows 8 – The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie McDonald) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 14:46:55 PST

I have always tried to stay out of the computerised religion debate. Due to being a gamer I have historically been a PC user, at University I was a Mac user and generally my laptop and machines will be double if not triple booting various flavours of Windows, OS10 and Linux. When a new OS of such high calibre is released it always gets me worked up inside and this time it’s churning like the mobile high seas that our tech is flowing towards.

The iPad is great. Android has proved it self as a phone and tablet environment. I am also a proud owner of a Windows Phone. The big question which I have been asking in our new mobile-centric tech world is: “what if I could run a full (and I mean full) OS on a tablet?”. Windows 7 has appeared on very expensive slate PCs and various versions of Linux try but ultimately fail due to not being familiar enough. Here is when the new contender floats in on it’s raft of metro goodness.

The developer build of W8 has been out since the last quarter of 2011 and the consumer tests are days around the corner. I have been running this system on my netbook (a Samsung nc10) for 2 weeks now and I’m actually starting to love it. Before I break my findings down I would like to state one thing: Windows 8 is great and has the quality backbone of Windows 7 with the elegance of a modern workflow user interface.

THE GOOD - Metro and it’s apps are great. If you are a netbook user it gives you a great ‘click I want a website’, ‘quick I need to check twitter’ environment which your phone gives you. I havn’t tried it out on any form of tablet but I think it’s pretty obvious how well this interface will work. It matches my phone, and matches my Xbox so I feel right at home. The included apps are bright, bold and extremely fast. One thing I should mention is how good the new internet explorer metro build works. It’s not the fastest browser however it’s full screen and great for Web apps. I look forward to seeing how it involves over the next few builds. It’s got a great pin to start feature so you can have a few of your favourite sites and webapps right at your mouseclick/finger tips, as seen in my start screen pic to the left.

The OS as a whole is nippy, very fun and very workable. It suits my little netbook well and considering how happy it is sitting on a Atom processor and a gig of ram it’s the best that this little humble mini laptop is has ever dealt with.

THE BAD - So not all my apps work. Not a big problem as this is only the Dev Beta. I am also confused with the priority of some of the settings. You go to control panel via metro and it has loads of random windows mobile style sliders to turn options on and off. If you want to change any ‘real’ OS settings you click on the bottom option and it sends you to the all familiar windows control panel. It seems like a waste to me. Just put all your settings under one UI. All in metro, or all as standard. The big thing which is blocking my current 100% love of this system is the lack of start menu. They have gone the Mac route by having quick clicks to some of most used apps and then everything else hidden away. You can use the search to find what you need or click on the apps to find a big list of them. I’m not sure I’m comfortable with software that I use regularly such as Photoshop, Lightroom and MaxMSP being classed as ‘Apps’ rather than software or applications. In my feeling it has pushed to strong to being a functional tablet OS and forgetting the simplicity and function of having a start menu. At the moment this system is still quite empty as I am waiting to destroy it on the 24th when the consumer preview is out, however I will write an update to see if the system performs badly when I push process hungry applications and curdle up the hard drive with all my files.

THE UGLY - You would have heard this on pretty much all of the first impression reviews of Windows 8, but I’m going to reiterate it. Why can’t you switch off metro off and turn it on for tablets and web machines. I installed the dev preview into a virtual machine on my main studio build and after about an hour of using it I started to fume. I hated the constant flipping between metro and the desktop, the huge boxes on my big dual screens with all the apps when I pretty much only use 4-5 bit software on there. I understand they didn’t develop it for a professional office or studio machine, however some of us want the behind the scenes improvements and the speed and elegance of it. Maybe it’s just me not looking hard enough at the settings, but can you change the green. It’s my 2nd faveorite colour? can you change the colour settings of the tiles? Can I have a startmenu, or at least when I click start have a pop up of all my applications? SIlly little gripes, and I understand that it’s early days.

My very short conclusion is that I like this OS and it has a welcome place on my netbook (and tablet if I ever can afford one) but my studio will stay on tusty reliable windows 7 and UbuntuStudio - More to Windows 8 stuff to come soon

My Current State of Play

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie McDonald) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 14:46:39 PST

So I’ve decided to jump back into the world of gaming, the world of writing and take my photography further. This has given me the opportunity to get much more excited about some recent releases and upcoming titles in the world of video games. At first I thought It would be hard to choose a list of games that I’m excited about, begrudging a boring year in gaming. Then I started to jot some down and now have far to many to choose from. This is some info on the 8 which I am excited about the most. Some may get pushed to 2012 but I’m hoping that all of these will make 2011 a great year for my gaming life.

DUKE NUKEM FOREVER – 360,PS3 + PC(?) RELEASE – May 2011 (Hopefully) Duke Nukem Forever is a Vapourware title which has been in the making for far to long. As a young lad I remember killing pig cops, paying hookers and shocking relatives by repeating lines from this role model. I remember my big brother first showing me tech shots of Duke Forever and us both discussing them for hours in great detail. If my memory is correct that was at least 10 years ago, if not longer. This game has been riddled with failures but is now finally coming. I’ve always been a fan of Gearbox so I’m sure they have done this legacy proud. If it doesn’t come out this year, I’m simply going to stop caring, but lets hope for the best shall we.

WARHAMMER 40K: SPACE MARINE – 360 + PS3 RELEASE - AUGUST 2011 I have been a Warhammer player since quite young. Being a proud player and collector of the hobby I have kept a keen interest in the video gaming side of things. The Dawn of War titles always had quality and a unique touch for RTS games, however Relic games are jumping into something new. I do not know much about this game except that it is 3rd person, you play as a space marine sergeant with a small squad of tactical marines and the release tech video is damn awesome. As a fan of the aesthetics of the Warhammer 40k universe (even though I’m an Ork collector and hate marines) I’m sure I will enjoy every moment of this game.

GEARS OF WAR 3 – 360 – Release – Sept 2011 Gears of War was a surprising title. I was a huge Unreal Tournament player so was sceptical about a 3rd person, story based title from Epic. How wrong I was. Gears 1 and 2 not only reek quality but also bring together some perfected game mechanics and a mind blowing story of human survival. I am very keen to see how the U3 engine has improved and what lies in store next for the unforgettable characters. This title was dated for next month, however is now pushed to September. These extra months I’m sure will be worth the wait. I look forward to seeing the publicity and gameplay videos over the coming months.

SAINTS ROW 3 – 360+PS3 – Release Oct 2011 Many will argue with me, but I stick by the view that Saints Row is better than GTA. I’m not saying that GTA is a bad game, however Volition Games took the concept and made it funny and rinsed away the pointless gritty crap. I love how the cars handle, the customisation and the over the top storylines. I’m sure some people look at this game as ‘gangster’ and play it thinking it’s cool to live like that, however I play it thinking; this is fun, really high quality and pretty unique. In number 2 I clocked up just over 120 hours and I still haven't got every collectable etc, so I’m sure this one will grab my attention just the same.

THE ELDAR SCROLLS 5: SKYRIM – 360, PS3 + PC – Release Nov 2011 I’ve been a very fond player of the Eldar Scrolls games for years. It’s hard to choose the best bits from the current 4 and their expansions. They are all stunning and pushed limits of tech. To be honest I wasn’t a fan of Fallout 3. The concept was great, it was well presented, I just got no pleasure out of walking about with next to know one around with it being too clunky to be a fun shooter. I love the fantasy worlds and I loved the story trees in Oblivion. On my PC versions I clocked up nearly 200 hours of number 4. As long as they don’t fix what isn’t broken this game will be a welcome addition to 2011.

inFamous 2 – PS3 – Release – 2011 It is very rare that I get a game and then play it none stop so I complete it, then start it instantly to play through an alternative way, then hunt everything down. The only thing away from my platinum trophy on inFamous 1 is the stunt kills, which I don’t have the skill or patience to get. I adored the movements, the combat, the story and decision making. On my first play I was uber good, then played it through on hard being bad. I hope they expand this karma system a bit further, but without damaging the mechanics they already have. If they keep it the same but a new map and story I will be happy. It’s just one of those games I want more and more of.

GUILD WARS 2 – PC – Release 2011 (hopefully) Guildwars is to me was always what I wanted from Diablo but sometimes struggled to get. It has the grindy fighting, the fantasy class systems and a great levelling mechanic. What Arena-Net did give to this epic RPG is the MMO factor. However they decided not to charge £6-£10 a month for the privilege of playing it. You buy the game and it’s yours to play all you want with friends or strangers, or even on your own. Not many MMO’s work well if your a single unit in gaming, however Guildwars feels great. I love the graphics and have many memories of marathons of 15 hours and more just to hit a few more levels. Number 2 will breath a new beginning to this franchise, giving us even better graphics and pushing the story further.

WARHAMMER 40K: DARK MILLENNUIM ONLINE – PC – Release 2011 This is another title I don’t know a great deal about. However the idea of a 40K MMO is just generally awesome. Warhammer Online was a fantastic game, however as a table top 40K player I always wished for the MMO version. The factor that will make me hate this game is if you can’t play as my trusty friends the Space Orks. However as the 2nd most popular race in table top I’m sure they will be a main choice. I will be writing a full preview on this within the next week or so so look out for more info.

This was only a short list of my personal big titles of this year. Ones which I didn’t get to write about include the next chapter for Ratchet and Clank called All4One also the next Lego games – StarWars 3 (which I will review after buying it on friday) and Pirates of the Caribbean. We also have Twisted Metal, Brink, Uncharted 3 and of course Star Wars: The Old Republic. All these titles are worth keeping an eye out for plus the smaller games which sneak out in between. I’m glad to have an interest back in gaming and this year will be one to take it much much further.

Bulletstorm Review

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie McDonald) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 14:46:39 PST

Bulletstorm
Out Now
Platforms – Xbox360, PS3 and PC
Genre – FPS/RPS
Version Reviewed – Xbox360 Single Player

Any game that starts with the main playable character drunk is usually going to be a winner. The first tutorial style, half on rails, half controlled sequence sets the scene for this ass kicking, establishment destroying, revenge shooter. It’s sometimes coined under the term RPS (role playing shooter) as it contains experience points and weapon levelling, however in my view this is much more of an old school high score hunting game if anything.

The premise of Bulletstorm is a basic girl meets boy, ‘kill the guy who fucked you over’ story. You start with a few scene setting levels before you end up on a crazy resort planet which has been destroyed by several forces involving revolutionaries, radiation and giant monsters. You are far in the future; however things have gone the dystopian military way which all the cyber punk fans will be familiar with. It looks and feels like a first person version of Gears of War with much more greenery and huge depth of field. You play as Greyson, a grizzled, ex-military elite squad leader who has unwittingly been playing bitch boy for the big bad army corporation leader. Your trusty half robot half man buddy is called Ishi and plays a ‘Dom’ or ‘Arbitor’ role we are used to buy now (however lack of 2 player co-op was noted). Along your travels you come along a crazy chick that is out to kill you, then the bad guys, then you again. She flip flops her alliance and her attitude through the whole game, which in turn does add that much needed spice with some awesome scripting. This game has been criticised for being ‘crude’ and generally quite offensive, however it fits in the scene perfectly. Listening to how most kids talk to each other in sleepy England these days this game is quite tame. If I was an angry drunk mercenary I would use just as creative language, so hats off to the writers and voice actors, it was an enjoyable part of the game and added a much needed context between the action scenes.

The gameplay of Bulletstorm is not like your typical shooter. At times it will feel familiar to twitch shooter veterans from the era when Unreal and Quake ruled the roost. However it will feel comfortable to those gamers who enjoy more modern styles of FPS action. The gun play is fast and doesn’t favour one weapon over another. I found myself coming back to much of the weaponry from early on in the game during the later chapters. Your wingman ‘Ishi’ does a good job covering your back however rarely actually kills the AI, rather softens them up for your skill shooting. The unique twist on this game is the scoring of death. When you kill an AI you will be given a score depending on the style and rarity of their death. You kill some one you get 10 points, you head shot them you get 25, shoot them in the balls then stamp on their head you get 100. It’s the circle of life which the likes of Death Race 2000 introduced to us, however in this instance they are presented as a collectable and add role playing sparkles to the game. Travelling through different acts and chapters you come across new ‘Skill Shots’ which can be unlocked using different parts of the environment and different weapons. The points awarded to you can be used to upgrade weapons and of course by your all important ammo.

The game is divided into 6 chapters all of varying length. Different critics and community members quote different lengths. As an average skilled gamer on normal difficulty I completed the game in about 5-6 hours. For me it was an enjoyable length of time and is pretty standard to most modern shooters. Once you have completed the game you have several options; Replay and mop-up the campaign, start ‘echoes’ or jump into multiplayer. As the lack of internet access in my current abode I chose to replay the game on the next difficulty. On this play through I am also hunting down those last skill shots and collectables though the game. As you may read in my other reviews this style of game play is enjoyable to me, with the bonus of the added achievements/trophies. On this note the rewards are standard. You get pings for chapter moments and for the different difficulties on the game which do stack. You also get 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% skill shot completing pings, with the addition of collection and gameplay skill rewards. To my style of gaming these do make me want to go back and collect and achieve more and even play the game differently to mop up the last few acheivments.

The 2^nd game mode is called Echoes. This mode repeats certain chapters of the game in a time trail and high score vibe. You get 1, 2 or 3 stars as an indication to your performance and get a score which is linked to your skill shots. There are awards for playing the echoes in certain ways and of course completing them all. I found this mode fun and very repayable and a welcome addition for a single player gamer.

Bulletstorm looks absolutely stunning. It washes away the typical ‘next-gen grey’ and gives the impression of a lush far away paradise. When the story turns dark and dingy so does the environment, but it doesn’t keep you in cramped corridor situations for long. It isn’t the best looking game I have seen with the current tech, but considering the speed of the game, and given the depth of view it is defiantly one of the current benchmarks of gaming.

The sound design and music feel great. Each sound feels in place and very well mixed. The guns sound dirty and worn, the monsters sound huge and the AI sound brutal and insane. The music is standard but has high production values. The sound doesn’t add anything particularly extra to the gameplay but does give the whole production a quality feel. I found myself immersed in the environment when the sound was high, but didn’t have any complaints if I had to turn it down low from time to time. The Unreal Engine generally provides headroom for high quality sound, but I feel that People Can Fly should be congratulated on the soundscape and audio feel of this entire production.

Summery

Gameplay and Design :- Fun, over the top shooter with a role playing twist. Great story and some awesome gameplay mechanics which are well implemented. 9/10

Graphics :- One of the best Unreal3 Engine games I have played. Colourful and interesting environments and great models. Suits the scene and doesn't skip on the gritty details. 9/10

Audio :- Good use of environmental audio and a suitable sound track. Voice acting is top notch and well scripted. The audio doesn’t do anything special to enhance gameplay but is of high quality. 8/10

Longativiy :- Fairly short campaign mode, but has some replayabilty factor and 5 difficulty levels to master. Great addition with echoes mode to add new skill and give a different gameplay style to existing levels. 7/10

Achievements/Trophies :- A fairly basic set of campaign and difficulty rewards. Some gameplay changing and encouragement to replay rewards. Nothing ground breaking but a decent set. 6/10

Final Thoughts :- As a fan of Epic Games and this style of over the top action, I loved this game. They experimented with some unique ideas for shooters and succeeded. I also enjoyed the controversy surrounding the game and hope it doesn’t put of future development of this type of title. A well put together replayable shooter. 8/10

My Current State of Play

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie McDonald) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 14:46:39 PST

It has been a rather long time since I wrote anything. I generally have a big break from writing then come back with some kind of ‘hey guys I’m back post’. This time may actually be for real but who knows. My life has been a strange one for the last 5-6 months but I won’t bore you with the details as this blog is about gaming.

Games have been an interesting part of my day to day life. For a start I have been working in a computer games shop and spend most of my days selling crap Wii and DS titles to spoilt kids. However the odd customer comes along who actually values my opinion and wants to buy some real games, so the job is pretty awesome. I have also down sized the amount of gaming i do in my spare time. This is mainly because I haven't had spare time, but also as my photography and musical sides of me have become much more relevant. For various reasons I no longer have a Wii so must rely on Freckled Moon to keep me in that loop, but still enjoy our weekly gaming and podcasting sessions, and hope that you will tune into Forced Feedback every week.

For me this year could be pretty impressive as far as titles are concerned. As my current gaming life consists of Star Trek Online and Sega Racing I thought I would bore you with what I am personally excited about for the next year instead of what I am currently enjoying. In no way is this a complete list of quality titles for the year, however these are the few which really jump out at me and my personal gaming flavours.

Just Cause 2 – 26th March – If you have ever listened to Forced Feedback, you are most likely aware that I am very excited about the return of Rico. Simple ass kicking in an open world and base jumping off everything and anything. I like big explosions, pointless grind missions which give you added Kudos for various factions and I like to steal helicopters while they are in the air. When I play JC1 I feel happy inside. I hope this will make me feel the same if not better.

Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 – 28th May – I love the Lego platformers. Travellers Tales did a fantastic job on the Star Wars, Indy and Batman titles. Here comes Harry Potter’s turn. From what I have seen in videos and current screen shots this will be more of the same but with the story of the first 4 books/films. I loved the game mechanics and setups of the previous games and I like Harry Potter. Therefore I’m sure I will be one happy wizard when this comes flying into my life in May.

Blur – 28th May – I’m currently playing the Beta version of BLUR and I love it. Fast like ‘Wipeout’ with the crashing and bashing of ‘Burnout’ and the weapon pickups of Kart racers makes this an amazing mix. What is more interesting is I heard rumours that It will be free for Xbox Live Silver players and it should be cross platform multiplayer so finally Xbox, Playstation and PC fan boys can live and fight in harmony. This is one to look out for!

Naughty Bear – 4th June – Introduced to me through Spirit of Jazz and Freckled moon, this game has got me rather excited. You are a Naughty Bear in a land of perfect teddies. Some sandbox style game play added with the dark twisted humour which I'm sure i will love. This will be the territory of Freckled Moon so I don’t want to give to many features away, however keep listening to Forced Feedback as we will be discussing this master piece in great detail.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 – 11th June – This game will make me get a Wii again. I have 3 months to save up because this game is essential. I loved number one and even if this is simply more of the same, I don’t care!I have a kind of unjustified hatred of Nintendo at the moment, however Galaxy stole my heart and I am assuming that the production values and game play of the sequel will be the same if not heavily improved. I am looking forward to the cute stars, crazy upside down platforming and riding Yoshi around like nobodies business.

Crackdown 2 – July 8th – Crackdown made me lose around 200 hours of my life, if not more. I was hypnotised by the jumping, orb hunting and disregard for civilians. The art style was stunning, the game play was fun, the explosions were big. What can be improved? well lets add 4 player Co-Op, new weapons, a prettier engine and more Crackdowny goodness. I may book a week off work for this release. I just hope that Freckled Moon sorts her internet/Xbox live out before July as the Wizard/Moon Crackdown ass kicking team may be no more!!

Halo: Reach – Q3, September Maybe – I am a raving Halo fan boy. I need to say no more to why I ‘need’ this game. The multiplayer will improve again on what is still the most popular multiplayer of all time. The story to me will answer questions which appeared in the Books and previous titles. I love the universe and the 5th FPS in the series will stun us all. My only criticism is that the Multiplayer Beta is going to be a bit of a farce as people will treat it as a demo or sneak peak and may not actually report bugs, however I’m sure Bungie will sell loads of more copies of ODST in the weeks before May 3rd.

Other games I am excited about include Star Craft 2, Diablo 3, Medal of Honor, Star Wars: Old Republic and The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf. But it may be far to soon to be able to get really excited about these titles. I have a busy few months to get my gaming back on form and look forward to reading and writing about all the moments and news surrounding.

Keep on reading and Tune into Forced Feedback each Monday night (except tonight that is).

Test Post

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie McDonald) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 14:46:08 PST

Test post for tags

Back at Last, Really Tired (blame clank) and I don't really like CoD

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie McDonald) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:01:50 PST

It has been a while. I apologise for my failure to rant, discuss and review this last month but I have been incredibly busy. I have been trying to get into the games industry so have spent much time on my personal development and sorting out my Résumé and online portfolio. Check out my site (which you may have arrived here via) at http://www.captainwizard.co.uk. I have also started a new blog for my audio experiments with a starting post about the great and wonderful Macca Strat. Check that out here http://circuitbentmind.blogspot.com.

With all this work I have become very tired, the winter is swooping down and my asthma is playing up. However this extra bedtime has given me more time with the lovely PS3 as me and my partner keep it in the bedroom. Playing through the start of Uncharted 2, dabbling with Killzone 2 and Motorstorm 2 and eventually getting round to playing Resistance 2 once more, I have been happy as PI. I have also had the pleasure of playing through Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time, which may well be my best game of this year (or at least on par with Borderlands and ODST). If you are a fan of the franchise then it is a must as somehow it manages to improve of a near perfect gameplay to start with. The graphics are really sexy and the voice acting is spot on as normal. Many are put off by the friendly childlike front of Ratchet and Clank but i can assure you that this is just as hardcore as all the 1st and 3rd person shooters around but with loads of puzzles and platforming. I'm not saying that it would be every ones cup of tea, however i am saying that if you want a PS3 exclusive which is awesome then at least try it. Being a long fan of not only Ratchet and Clank but also its predecessor Spyro the Dragon, i can't get enough of this game.

On another strange note I have also been playing through Madagascar Kartz on the Xbox 360. I am not a huge fan of the Dreamworks films, however I LOVE go kart games. This is a really polished, straight to the point racer. It uses all the clichés and mechanics which you would expect from a go-kart racer, but that's what makes it so great. The 200cc i personally feel is really harsh, but that could just be me being a bit rubbish. The game costs between £15 - £20 new so is worth picking up, even if its for a easy 700-1000 gamerscore.

Me and my Mrs are still playing through Borderlands together. Currently around level 23 we are enjoying the progression and levelling, with lots of twitch shooter mixed in. I have also started a new character on single player but I'm 'not allowed' to progress him further than our Co-Op saves on fear of death.

The last small rant here today is about CoD4-2 or as i believe it's called Modern Warfare 2. I'm not really a CoD fan. It's a very well made war game, however it doesn't interest me. I played though CoD4 on the PC and half of it on the 360 and love the single player, but I'm not that excited about number 2. I'm in no way saying that it's a bad game because I'm sure it's epic, however I will leave that epicness to CoD heads. I am working at Game tonight between 11 and 2 for the midnight opening, so I'm not really that impressed about the lack of sleep it will bring me. I found this cool Kotaku post which may interest anyone who also prefers other shooters or genres of games - Kotaku - What to play while boycotting MW2

Halo: ODST - first impressions

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie McDonald) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 06:37:32 PDT

Sorry I have been neglecting my blog. No real excuses really, but I promise that I'm back for good so I hope you enjoy.

Well today is the day. Halo ODST is finally upon us and I am rather excited. Although I am currently on my lunch break at work I still feel I should share my first thoughts with you on this hopeful masterpiece.

First of all it was a midnight launch. I love these, staying up late and wondering into town so we can stand with loads of nerds. Amy holding me back so I don't start arguing about the back story of Halo, which they all clearly have no idea about. Then we walk in, buy the game and then bugger off home to play it. Me and Amy had already decided that we would not start the campaign untill tonight so I was excited to start up some Firefight. I am really impressed and feel that it kicks the ass of other similar modes such as Horde on Gears2 and Survival on L4D. The slickness of it mixed with the semi-complexities make me smile. It also includes achievements which complement the mode very well and a push upon co-op play, which is much welcomed in my household.

Graphically its not a huge improvement from Halo3, but I didn't really expect it to be. The improvements I see could even simply be our new TV rather than the game anyway. The menu, organisation and layout of the game is familiar to players of halo2, 3 and HaloWars, again a welcoming comfort to what is my 2nd favourite franchise of all time. The two new weapons feel great and to be honest I didn't really notice the health system as it simply reminded me of Halo as I was a big online player of the PC version. Even though the campaign in unknown to me (I have avoided any spoilers and reviews like a rash) I already feel good about this game. It's not trying to out do it's older brother, or even add to it. It simply is giving us a new gaming experience in a world many of us are familiar with.

I shall write a full review tomorrow once I have had a good bash through the campaign so watch this space.

Song for my Big Brother - Player 2

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie McDonald) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 16:54:57 PDT

I decided a few weeks ago to write a song for my big brother Danny as he has been pretty ill lately. He is pretty much the main reason that I am such a big gamer(/nerd) today. Anyway take a listen I hope you like. The song isn't quite finished yet, as I need to work on some of the parts, but as I had some free time today i thought I would record what I had and send it out over the net. The lyrics are posted below, though some may vary from time to time. This song will be included in it's final finished form on my current CD project I am creating entitled 'Glitchy Folkpocalyptic Grunge Mind Melt' which is a mish-mash of different parts of my compositional mind.

Hope you enjoy

Click here to download the MP3 (190k)

Player 2 by Jamie McDonald 2009

I take the controller and I press start,
as the game begins I can feel my heart,
my mind goes blank as I remember the moves,
no matter what happens I'm sure I'll still lose,
I look up to you, to teach me this game,
as many times before you've put me to shame,
you know every gun, you drive all the cars,
you can make every jump seem to go so far,

'cause I am your player 2,
and for this I thank you,
your would teach me every day,
you would show me how to play,
'cause my life is now with games,
I dreamt a dream and shot my aims,
because no matter what I do,
I'll always be your player 2.

your score would rise, and you would smile,
as the bullets fly and the corpses pile,
but then your face it turns to a frown,
as your health creeps low and you turn around,
I'm standing there with a great big gun,
and it dawns on you just what you've done,
now your one more frag upon my list,
you taught me to shoot but never miss,

'cause I am your player 2........

I found the save point in my life,
I killed the Strogg, and I finished the fight,
but Gorden freeman would be history,
if you hadn't been there to teach me,
I'm your Padawan, and it must be true,
so we formed a guild, i fought beside you,
I will remember everything you say,
cos I'm your player 2 and I'm ready to play,

'cause I am your player 2........

Forced Feedback Episode 11 - Gaming Pervert Special

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie McDonald) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:21:41 PDT

Forced Feedback Episode 11 - Finally the Internet Pervert Feature is here!!!!

Forced Feedback is the Podcast of The Feedback Force. We are Captain Wizard, Freckled Moon and Orifister. The podcast is musings and general news from this week. It is published every Thursday and will include a guest every so often.

Forced Feedback Episode 11 – 25/06/09 – 1hr 45 mins

Download the MP3 (64K) Here (right click to save)

Presenters - Captain Wizard, Freckled Moon and The Orifister

Guest - Various Internet Perverts

Currently Playing - Red Faction, Lego Battles, Rocket Riot, Gears of War, Buzz, Mass Effect, Champoions Online, Saints Row 1, prototype

Whats New - Droplitz, Garou-MOW, Battlefield Heroes, DeltaForce Steam, Arma2 demo, Bigs2 Demo, Dynasty Warriors 6: Emipires, Overlord 2, Fight Night Round 4, Transformers 2, Ice Age 3, Superstar v6, Guitar Hero Greatest Hits, Tales of Vesparia, Spore Galactic Adventures, Anno1404, Wii Resi Evil Archives, Lego Battles, Fuel PC.

News - ZeniMax ID takeover, John Romero Spoke Out, Mythic and Bioware happy togetherm Sony Motion at Develop, 360 Fuck up, Duke Forever/Begins, Chinatown Wars for PSP, Activision PS3 stoppage, Game Disc Locking.

Feature - Internet Pervs Special - The problems, and how to aviod.

Disclaimer - everything said in this podcast are opinions, sources are mentioned when known and everything is assumed to be subjective/speculative. Its just bit of fun and arguments about gaming.

click here to subscribe to this podcast using iTunes or Preferred RssCatcher http://feeds2.feedburner.com/ForcedFeedback

Or find us on iTunes in the 'Games and Hobbies/Video Games' section or by searching Forced Feedback.

Please check out and join our Steam Group http://steamcommunity.com/groups/forcedfeedback

Please check out and join our Facebook Group http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=57517608266&ref=ts

Check out and follow us on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/forcedfeedback

Forced Feedback - Episode 10

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie McDonald) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:46:44 PDT

Forced Feedback Episode 10 - No amy but loads of news, Plus some red faction chat.

Forced Feedback is the Podcast of The Feedback Force. We are Captain Wizard, Freckled Moon and Orifister. The podcast is musings and general news from this week. It is published every Thursday and will include a guest every so often.

Forced Feedback Episode 10 – 18/06/09 – 1hr 54 mins

Download the MP3 (64K) Here (right click to save)

Presenters - Captain Wizard and The Orifister

Guest - Lt. Shmoopy

Currently Playing - InFamous, Red Faction: Gurillia, Magic the Gathering, TF2, Trash Panic, Prototype, Beautiful Katamri, COD 5 DLC,

Whats New - Magic the Gathering LIVE, Sam and Max, ArmA2, Ghostbusters, Hail to the Chimp, Cake Mania 2, Eldar Scrolls on Steam, Americas Army 3, Rock Band Unplugged, Lets Tap, The Munchables.

News - Halo3 Killer, Burnout/N4S mashup, Ghost Busters Region unlocked, iPhone gaming network, Call of Duty Online fees, Konami Pregnant Woman Courtcase, Realtime Worlds Hiring, Dante Inferno protests, PS3 in Prison, New 360 Rumours, Direct X 11 news, Lucas Arts rereleases.

Feature - No feature ran out of time as usual....Next week is definatly the internet purves special.

Disclaimer - everything said in this podcast are opinions, sources are mentioned when known and everything is assumed to be subjective/speculative. Its just bit of fun and arguments about gaming.

click here to subscribe to this podcast using iTunes or Preferred RssCatcher http://feeds2.feedburner.com/ForcedFeedback

Or find us on iTunes in the 'Games and Hobbies/Video Games' section or by searching Forced Feedback.

Please check out and join our Steam Group http://steamcommunity.com/groups/forcedfeedback

Please check out and join our Facebook Group http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=57517608266&ref=ts

Check out and follow us on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/forcedfeedback

Review - inFamous

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie McDonald) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 03:24:10 PDT

Review Section - Games : The Games that Shaped Me

Developer - Sucker Punch
Publisher - Sony
Platform/s - PS3 Exclusive
Price I payed - £37
Average price at time of writing - £40
Release date - 29th April 2009

This is one of the most anticipated PS3 releases of the year. An ambitious game which will either rise in its own glory or fail in a mess of what it should have been. Sucker Punch weren't lucky in this case. They didn't make a PS3 game, they made 'THE' PS3 game. I do not have any favours over Microsoft, it just so happens that multiplatform games are usually chosen for their system in my household. When a decent PS3 exclusive comes along it always makes me smile and happy that i chose to own all of the current gen platforms, instead of choosing just the one.

In inFamous you play a chap called Cole. He starts off his normal day and then BOOM; big explosion; lots of people dead. You wake up in the epicentre of it all. How did you survive? No one knows and at this point and no one really cares. This sequence acts as your tutorial and it does it very well. This game is broken up into several days after the blast. You start at day 14. You quickly come to grips with your powers and then the fun starts. Do you blast every person in sight, or do you just zzap the bag guys. This is up to you, but you soon become aware of how an obvious looking karma system is actually working under the hood at all times. Every so often the games stops the narrative and runs you though Cole's head. You have a good and a evil choice. Which you choose is up to you. As someone who has played the game through twice (Once as a Normal Good Guy and Once as a Hard Evil Maniac) i can say that the only real difference it makes it with your powers. Obviously leaving any spoilers aside i don't want to give examples, but even though this game has a very robust narrative, it has minimal differences depending on what side you join. Maybe I was expecting to much, but as i played through as a good character i had an alternative story rolling around my head for when I decided to play as evil. But alas i was slightly disappointed. This however didn't stop me from playing it again.

Not many games entice me to start the game instantly again once i have finished them. This however did, and the experience was completely different. I decided to up the difficulty to Hard and to be as evil as i could. Watching peoples terror as i walked past or decided to suck the bio-electricity from their face was a crazy experience compared to the applauding and cheering crowds of my previous play through. The difficulty is interesting. I had to rinse and repeat two or three missions as i discovered better strategies etc but other than that it wasn't a big leap. That was until i met the final boss. He is ridiculous on hard. If i remember rightly he was also pretty ridiculous on normal as well.

The game pretty much completely open. You have three island (similar to that of crackdown) which all have three different gangs/factions to fight with. You cannot move to the second and third island however until you move through the story. The game has an interesting method of keeping you in certain sections of the map. The power has been cut off in some districts and its your job to travel too the substations and bring it back on. If you move into a blacked out area you are pretty much dead. It's a matter of time before you will be completely surrounded by crazy bad guys with huge guns. The perk of going to the substations is that you gain a new power. These range from being able to fly/hover to bringing down huge lightning storms from the sky. You can also take over smaller sub districts to rid it from the enemies. This is done by completing small side missions.

Its hard to describe every aspect of this game without giving it to many spoilers. The gameplay is similar to that of crackdown and the Spiderman games. Except in this case you also have a karma system to keep an eye on and a really well knit story to distract you. When you finish this game you will soon realise that the entire game has been prologue to something much bigger. If Sucker Punch decide on another game then it will lead onto that. If they do not then it leaves an open canvas in your mind to decide where 'your' Cole goes next.

Round Ups

Core Gameplay - 95% - Pure open world happiness, plus a karma system, plus you can fly....what else does a electric super hero need.

Multiplayer Gameplay - n/a

Graphics/Physics - 90% - Not the best looking PS3 out there, but is still amazingly beautiful. Great draw distance and perfectly put together animations. Great physics although they are very subtle.

Sound - 85% - Very well polished and high quality voice acting and sound design. Little repetition on sounds. Nothing ground breaking with the design but overall a great sounding game.

DLC - n/a

Achievements/Trophies - 90% - A great set of Trophies. Non that require you to deviate from the core gameplay. They encourage you to explore, find things and level up. Encourages you to play the game through once as good and again as evil (or evil then good)

Overall = 90% - Is now in my top 5 games of all time. Is an enjoyable and addictive adrenaline ride of goodness. An essential to any PS3 owners game collection.

Forced Feedback - Episode 08 - E3-09 Special

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie McDonald) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 15:14:12 PDT

Forced Feedback Episode 08 - The E3 09 Special

Forced Feedback is the Podcast of The Feedback Force. We are Captain Wizard, Freckled Moon and Orifister. The podcast is musings and general news from this week. It is published every Thursday and will include a guest every so often.

Forced Feedback Episode 08 – 04/06/09 – 1hr 46 mins

Download the MP3 (64K) Here (right click to save)

Presenters - Captain Wizard, Freckled Moon and The Orifister

Guest - Not this week i'm afraid

Currently Playing - inFamous, TF2, Damnation, Plants vs. Zombies, Bully, Saints Row 2 DLC

Whats New - Red Faction, Sims 3, Overlord Demo.

News - E3 - LISTEN TO FIND OUT THE GOSSIP

Feature - No feature....E3 is a big enough deal.

Disclaimer - everything said in this podcast are opinions, sources are mentioned when known and everything is assumed to be subjective/speculative. Its just bit of fun and arguments about gaming.

click here to subscribe to this podcast using iTunes or Preferred RssCatcher http://feeds2.feedburner.com/ForcedFeedback

Or find us on iTunes in the 'Games and Hobbies/Video Games' section or by searching Forced Feedback.

Please check out and join our Steam Group http://steamcommunity.com/groups/forcedfeedback

Please check out and join our Facebook Group http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=57517608266&ref=ts

Check out and follow us on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/forcedfeedback

Average Game...but made for the Steam Punk Fans - A Damnation First Impressions

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie McDonald) — Sat, 23 May 2009 10:20:32 PDT

This is a great game. considering its roots and the company who made it, I feel its a pretty good attempt to penetrate the industry. The story is interesting and can be enjoyed by fans or steam punk or people who don't demand a epic storyline for every game. The standard 3rd person shooting encounters with some great Tomb Raider style platforming brings this game its charm. My main criticisms are the lack of navigation system and how the enemies can be hard to spot thanks to the nice shade of Next Gen grey. I am also not really impressed with the multiplayer system, however i haven't given it much time so it may grow on me I decided on 6.5/10 because its pretty average but if your a fan of the genre or mindless simple shooters then you will enjoy.

6.5 / 10

for more gaming news and reviews from a happy go lucky wizard visit http://www.captainwizard.co.uk

The Wizard is Reborn

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie McDonald) — Thu, 21 May 2009 05:57:32 PDT

So here I am. Ready to hand my Final Major project into my tutor at university. No other work to do. No other chances to take. Just pure happiness from here. I love uni don't get me wrong I just have lost interest and faith in the audio world. Just had a pretty piss poor assessment with my game audio tutor so it’s not looking good.

Oh well shit happens.

Anyway I am back and I'm going to be blogging more than ever. Everyday (or at least every 2) i will be posting a blog. Forced Feedback will be hitting your ears every Thursday and i will be enjoying playing games more than ever.

So where have I been? What have i been doing? More importantly what have i been playing for this month of absence? I introduced Freckled Moon to the world of steam and I have re-discovered Team Fortress 2. Our new games PC turned up and here's some lingo on it. We have an Intel Core 2 Duo 8200 which is running at 3Ghz. One point i will overclock it but I'm happy for now. We have 4 gigs of low latency 800 DDR2, We have a Nvidia GTX 260 which is the mid range of the current high end Nvidia (like you didn't already know that) cards. We also now have a Sata2 hard drive which actually works properly so it doesn't have its slow moments. I have also decided to install the RC1 of Windows 7 onto it, which runs like a dream. I hear you thinking…that's very well wizard but where are the benchmarks. Well here they come. UT3 on completely full, with hardware Physx enabled on an advanced Physx map = 60FPS!!!! (hell yeah). TF2 completely maxed (x16 AA) = 60fps. Crysis on Ultra High = between 25-30 which I class as a hell of an achievement. Oblivion completely maxed out = 60 inside 30-40 outside. For some reason the only game we have had a problem with is champions online, but its still in beta so I let it off.

On that note…I'm in the champions online preview and its fucking amazing. i was a big fan of City of Heroes so I am hyped for this game. The customisation is great and the graphics are pretty damn sweet. If your on it yourself just look out for captainwizard.

Any why my ‘I’m back’ rant is over. I'm off to see if my lecturer is in his office so i can fuck off home and play some games.

Grain Table Video

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie McDonald) — Mon, 18 May 2009 04:34:06 PDT

This is a short video of my 'Grain Table' project which i have been busy working on and not blogging!!!

Forced Feedback Episode 05 - 17/04/09

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie McDonald) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 15:00:59 PDT

Forced Feedback is the Podcast of The Feedback Force. We are Captain Wizard, Freckled Moon and Orifister. The podcast is musings and general news from this week. It is published every Thursday and will include a guest every so often.

Forced Feedback Episode 05 – 09/04/09 – 1hr 12 mins

Download the MP3 (64K) Here (right click to save)

Presenters – Captain Wizard, Freckled Moon and Jack Sandwich

Guests - No Guest this week (unless you class Jack as a guest)

Currently Playing - Crackdown, Halo3, Harry Potter OOTP, Left 4 Dead, Henry Hatsworth, Guildwars and Lego Indy

What’s happening – Dawn of War 2 and Final Fantasy 13 Demos. Releases of Braid(Steam), Dementium, Outrun Online Live, Rock Band Song Pack 2 and Postal(GoG)

News – Load so news this week - Sony Boss Retire, Banjo Tooie, Saints Row 2 DLC Delayed, Burnout Cops and Robbers dated, 2 Singstar Patches, Rock Band Beatles details, Conduit Multiplayer first impressions, 360 Warranty Changes and some Wiimotion Plus news.

Feature - Cliches in games - whats your favorite

This show is still dodgy audio wise....i assure you that this will be getting better and better.

Thank you to JackSandwich for filling in for Sami this week you never know he may be appearing more and more.

Disclaimer - everything said in this podcast are opinions, sources are mentioned when known and everything is assumed to be subjective/speculative. Its just bit of fun and arguments about gaming.

click here to subscribe to this podcast using iTunes or Preferred RssCatcher http://feeds2.feedburner.com/ForcedFeedback

Or find us on iTunes in the 'Games and Hobbies/Video Games' section or by searching Forced Feedback.

Ratchet and Clank - A Crack in Time

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie McDonald) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 09:14:14 PDT

New Ratchet and Clank that i mentioned in one of the podcasts. Here's a trailer for it. I am really excited about this game, but i cannot really think what to write. So instead watch the trailer, if your a fan you will be excited. If not, nearer the time you may see some game play and enjoy it. At this early stage i feel that this trailer is aimed at the continuing fans of the series.

Forced Feedback - Episode 03 - 02/04/09

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie McDonald) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 14:46:05 PDT

Forced Feedback is the Podcast of The Feedback Force. We are Captain Wizard, Freckled Moon and Orifister. The podcast is musings and general news from this week. It is published every Thursday and will include a guest every so often.

Forced Feedback Episode 03 – 02/04/09 – 57 mins

Download the MP3 (64K) Here (right click to save)

Presenters – Captain Wizard, Freckled Moon and Orifister.

Currently Playing -Crackdown, Saints Row 2, Golden Axe: Beast Rider, Ghost Squad, Pain, Henry Hatsworth, Burn Zombie Burn.

What’s happening – No demos this week. Releases of Wanted, Tenchu, Ninja Blade, The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai.

Guest Section – Sorry no guest this week.

News – Loads of DLC - Saints Row 2, Fable 2, Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Blots. New Jak and Daxter . GANG awards, Final Fantasy 13, L.A.W, PS2 price drop, and loads more.

Feature - No Feature this week.

This week was a bit lame. We apologise for that. We had technical problems and have had rather busy weeks. It will get better and the technical glitches will be ironed out.

Disclaimer - everything said in this podcast are opinions, sources are mentioned when known and everything is assumed to be subjective/speculative. Its just bit of fun and arguments about gaming.

click here to subscribe to this podcast using iTunes or Preferred RssCatcher http://feeds2.feedburner.com/ForcedFeedback

Or find us on iTunes in the 'Games and Hobbies/Video Games' section or by searching Forced Feedback.

Banjo Kazooie DLC coming very soon

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie McDonald) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 13:38:32 PDT

Recently it was announced that there would be DLC coming to Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts fairly soon. Today it was announced that the DLC would be coming very soon, April the 7th to be precise. The DLC will include ‘LOGS Lost Challenges’. This will involve 12 new challenges, new Klungo arcade levels and 7 new multiplayer modes. It also adds a welcome 250 gamer score for you achievement hunters out there. The DLC will be 400 MS Points which I think is acceptable. This is obviously a reasonable price for the DLC but I am surprised as Microsoft aren’t know for their low price tags for DLC of their own published games. I look forward to playing the DLC in a weeks time and will keep you updated on what it’s like.

Kotaku Post where I first read the news.

Info on the new achievements.

What Will Come of Windows XP’s Death

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie McDonald) — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 06:23:41 PDT

On April the 14th the end of a legacy is upon us. A OS which re-defined Microsoft in my opinion. Even though I now hate XP, i did once love it. I remember the first releases and the problems it had just as Vista and I'm sure Seven will also encounter. It was hit hard by MSBLAST and SASSER but recovered and came the king of all Operating systems. What will this death lead to? This is a question on my mind and many others around the world.

On April the 14th XP is not dying as such. Microsoft are stopping all free support for the platform and only offering paid support to XP Pro users. Security updates will be still around until 2014, so it will still be ‘safe’ to use but it will no longer be supported by Microsoft. I think this is a great move as Vista is getting old and Seven is amazing (in my opinion anyway). The one problem which is at the back of my mind is my older machines. I still use XP on my arcade machine build and 3 really old laptops I use for various things. I don’t really need support as such for these machines but it would be nice to know it was there come the day I am on the brink of OS suicide. There are however some alternatives.

Hacked up versions of Vista such as Vista-Xtreem and Vista-Lite offer older machines a chance to use vista and carry on the windows legacy. Over to the Unix side of things you have many flavours of Linux which work on older hardware and even the more later Ubuntus and Fedoras work fine. We also have the ‘arty’ OS10 which you can theoretically get working on older PC’s but its not even worth trying to be honest.

On a report I read today it states that 63.5% of the market is still XP based which makes me think, why are they still selling machines with XP on. Games run fine on vista and if you think its resource hungry, then you should have loads of it anyway as you are a gamer. Netbooks need the slimmed down OS but surely then can make a version of vista which works just as well or go down the Linux route. Vista is universally supported by hardware manufacturers, software developers and the community now, so why is XP still such a big deal.

I don’t think that it will cause more PC to MAC migration. I hate to say this but I really don’t think it’s going to push people to the dark side either (that’s Linux by the way). I think people either won’t care or they won’t even notice. Considering the low percentage of people who use Windows Update let alone the Windows support, I really doubt this will bother many people. If I have troubles then I will use Linux, if not I will use my ‘real’ computers which are running Seven with ease.

RIP XP… We will miss you, but hey, life somehow will go one without you.

Sources

ZNET Blog i first read the news

Happy OS Pie Chart

Forced Feedback Episode 02 - 26/03/09

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie McDonald) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 16:13:12 PDT

Forced Feedback is the Podcast of The Feedback Force. We are Captain Wizard, Freckled Moon and Orifister. The podcast is musings and general news from this week. It is published every Thursday and will include a guest every so often.

Forced Feedback Episode 02 – 26/03/09 – 1hr 29mins

Download the MP3 (64K) Here (right click to save)

Presenters – Captain Wizard, Freckled Moon and Orifister.

Currently Playing -Halo 3, Saints Row 2, Mad World, Street Fighter 4.

What’s happening – Mevo and the Groove Riders, Guitar Hero: Metallica, Coil, Uno Rush Demos. Releases of Leisure Suite Larry: Box Office Bust, Stormrise, Buzz: Brian of UK.

Guest Section – Sorry no guest this week.

News – Fallout 3 - The Pitt, Wolfenstien, mature games German ban, Microsoft gay lawsuit, Ratchet and Clank, More Old Republic details .

GDC Special News - Halo, Zelda, Wii, Infamous, Fat Princess, Cry3 Engine, Final Fantasy, OnLive.

Feature - Camping - is it a legitimate strategy?

Disclaimer - everything said in this podcast are opinions, sources are mentioned when known and everything is assumed to be subjective/speculative. Its just bit of fun and arguments about gaming.

click here to subscribe to this podcast using iTunes or Preferred RssCatcher http://feeds2.feedburner.com/ForcedFeedback

Cry 3 Engine at GDC

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie McDonald) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 17:32:37 PDT

Being interested in the on goings at GDC I thought I would share this video with you. As expected it is absolutely stunning. Go Crytek you always know how to please. Take a look.

Original IGN Video Page