So says Cliffy B (and you can call me Rocky D for the duration of this post), design director at Epic, the studio responsible for… Wait, what’s that game? The one with chunky men equipped with meaty artillery. Uh… Gears of War! Yeah, Gears of War. Looks like Epic could possibly be making a shift in direction in regards to future shooters. What an interesting, albeit questionable, concept.

I think I speak for everyone when I say Epic can always be trusted as far as delivering action packed, brainless, run and gun shooters go. Therefore the mantra “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” springs to mind. However, are gamers becoming complacent with the linear concept of run, cover and shoot the likes of Gears supplies?

As you know, I’m a big RPG fan, and when Cliff Bleszinski stated “the future of shooters is RPGs”, the likes of Fallout 3 and Mass Effect sprung to mind. Both great games that I’ve sunk a lot of hours into, and both games that focus heavily on role playing, but with a fantastic degree of real time combat mixed in. But is that a good move? After all, RPGs are very much an acquired taste, and even including one or two aspects of the genre may deter gamers from buying into this hybrid. RPGs are typically associated with being rather “heavy”, the likes of which you need an abundance of free time to really get the most out of. Shooters, on the other hand, are more so of the “pick up and play” variety, hence why they appeal to a much larger audience. Completely different breeds of games.

Every time I’m done investing countless hours into a RPG, I always follow the same pattern and lust after a fun, no nonsense shooter. I’ve briefly written about my shooter/RPG playing habits before, where I did actually complain of a sense of being unfulfilled throughout the Brothers in Arms campaign. Shooters generally lack the substance seen in RPGs, but really, there’s always a place for quick and dirty shooters as far as I’m concerned, and I’d be saddened to see both genres merge into one.

Of course Epic doesn’t account for all forthcoming shooters, but considering, hypothetically, that Cliffy B’s prediction was adopted by a much wider range of developers, where would that leave the games where we can pick up an assault rifle, and blast through the entire thing in 8 hours? I’m happy with the Mass Effects and Fallout 3s of the game world, but I’m also happy with the Gears and Rainbows.

I think variety is the spice of life, and that definitely extends to video games as well. What’s your thoughts on what Cliffy B said? How do you read into it?

Infinite Undiscovery is an under-appreciated JRPG that does take a good bit of time to get into. It was only at about 8 hours in that everything clicked for me and I found myself gripped, and by the time I had hit the 9 hour mark I was already prompted to switch to the second disc. There are three discs in total, therefore I’d say you’re looking at 30-40 hours gameplay time. Nothing like the 110 hours I put into Lost Odyssey, and thus perfect for those looking for a short flirtation with the quirky and camp nature of JRPGs we’ve come to know (and for me, love).

Note: I made a boob. IU is only two discs, not three.

But back to the PlayStation 3… This is the first time I’ve ever had any hands-on time with the PS3 (and this is the first time I’ve ever owned two of the current gen consoles). I’ve never stopped off at HMV to give it a whirl at the PS3 booth, despite the console and HDTV combo looking mighty fine. None of my friends are big into gaming, so mainly they own Wii’s or last generation consoles, if anything at all. It’s crazy to think that 2 years down the line, I still hadn’t tried one of the many great PlayStation exclusives.

That changed when I bought Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. Choosing what PS3 exclusive to go with was a tough choice (all multi-platform releases will be bought for the 360), with a toss-up between that, Killzone 2, Resistance: Fall of Man, and LittleBigPlanet. Oh, and inFamous. With my love for Tomb Raider showing no sign of fading, I opted for the Indiana Jones meets Lara Croft character, Nate Drake. And I’m glad I did - I think it’s been a fantastic introduction to the PlayStation 3, with strong story development, amazing chemistry and dialogue between characters, and, of course, gorgeous graphics and stunning scenery.

Which leads me nicely onto how I’m feeling about Trophies, seeing as I’ve unlocked a few while playing Uncharted. Being the type of gal who gets a strange enjoyment from seeing her completion percentage tick up, I was happy to see Trophies work in much the same way as Achievements, perhaps even better. It took me a while to get “addicted” - and I use that word loosely as I won’t play crappy games to bump up my GamerScore - to Achievements, and it will probably be the same with Trophies. But what I do like, which is an element you don’t get from Achievements, is the different levels of which you can be awarded Trophies; bronze, silver, gold, and platinum. It’s a bit more complex than the Achievement system, and so I suggest you read about how Trophies work if you’re not a PS3 owner, but it definitely adds another level to satisfy your 100% itch. Having said that, I don’t think the PS community is as nutty for Trophies as the Xbox community is for Achievements. I could be wrong?

I haven’t ventured online with my PS3, other than connecting to the PlayStation Network to secure my ID, so I’ll have to refrain from passing any judgement regarding playing online with others. However, I don’t see the PlayStation being the console to meet my multiplayer needs. Xbox Live feels so much beefier, but that’s no doubt down to the fact I have more than 90 ‘friends’ to play with. Whereas my current state with the PS3 is no more than a handful of people. If something along the lines of Left 4 Dead were to be released on the PlayStation 3 as an exclusive, I think I’d struggle to get a regular community together, unlike with the 360 where there’s always someone to play with. I guess I’m feeling a little lonely on my PlayStation 3.

One area in which Sony deserve major kudos is the Playstation Store. Microsoft should take a leaf out of Sony’s book, from everything down to the layout of the store, to the fact transactions work in real currency, as opposed to something similar to Microsoft Points gash. Since the November dashboard update for Xbox Live (the New Xbox Experience), I’ve had trouble navigating around the Marketplace. PlayStation Store has so far posed no problems, and soon enough I’ll be passing over £7.99 for my Final Fantasy VII fix.

I’ve owned my 360 since January ‘06, and so I’ve naturally built up a solid collection of games, as well as made many friends on Xbox Live. It’s for that reason I can’t see myself deviating from the 360 as my main console of this generation. The PlayStation 3, though, will most certainly be put to good use with all the exciting exclusives both having been released, and on the horizon, not to mention as a blu-ray player now that said format has risen victoriously. I guess I’ll also have to wait and see how addictive the Trophy system gets, and whether it trumps my satisfaction I get from unlocking Achievements. I’ll keep you posted!

In the meantime, be sure to add me: CandyStoreRock.

The Good

Alan Wake. It exists *jaw drops*. For a while there it was a little touch and go. Y’know, is this still in development? Has it been canned? Little information had been released for a game that was initially revealed 3 years ago, but actual gameplay footage was demonstrated, and, well, that just proves it exists… and it’s a-comin’. I’ve said many times before that I feel the 360 has a distinct lack of survival horror games. Even the recent addition to the Resident Evil franchise had less scares than a Darling Buds of May episode. Alan Wake can’t come quick enough (but that quick enough is actually 2010).

Left 4 Dead 2. Left 4 Dead has really taken Xbox Live by storm, and so I’m not surprised a sequel is in the pipebombline. I’ve had some of my best gaming nights playing a campaign on Expert with 3 other friends, and yes, I find it ridiculously scary. I swear, when the wind picks up at the Marina where I live, and it roars through the many berthed yacht’s masts, it sounds like the friggin’ witch from Left 4 Dead. I dare not walk my dog alone on a windy night. Anyway, it’s a shame Playstation gamers will still be missing out on this fantastic game. It’s worth picking up a 360 for.

Metal Gear Solid: Rising. Okay, so I’ve never played a MGS game. Shall I get my coat? But it’s about time I had an introduction to what is typically touted as revolutionising the stealth genre. And just like survival horror, I feel we don’t have many options for stealth on the 360. Hopefully Rising will successfully welcome in newbies, like myself, to the franchise. And hopefully there are no 90 minute cut scenes.

The Secret of Monkey Island. Yes! Just yes.

The Bad

Social networking. Okay, so maybe not so much ‘bad’ as you can take it or leave it, but I don’t understand the inclusion of Facebook and Twitter to Xbox 360. Perhaps I’m in the minority in regards to how I use my Xbox? But 99% of the time I boot it up, it’s to play my video games. The other 1% is made up of downloading the occasional movie or trailer from Video Marketplace. I guess you can say I haven’t really bought into the whole ‘consoles as all round entertainment systems’. So, Facebook and Twitter - both sites I frequent on a daily basis - will continue to be accessed solely from my iMac and MacBook.

Motion sensing shite. This has been a worry of mine since the Wii exploded (not literally), the PlayStation 3 jumped on the bandwagon, and rumours began filtering out about Microsoft’s motion sensing controller. So now Microsoft is wanting to “make you the controller”. I’m going to keep this brief before I end up tearing my hair out, but the 360 controller - or any console for that matter - has never been a ‘barrier’ to me, and I do rather enjoy slouching back on my sofa after a hard days work, both hands idly occupied by my control pad. I don’t want to be the controller. I don’t want to throw my body about the room. I’m really quite happy to exert no energy into playing video games at all. Not because I’m lazy, but just because that’s what I’m happy doing. So yeah, I probably won’t be buying into this motion sensing stuff, but I understand a lot of people will.

The Meh

Guitar Hero 5/The Beatles Rock Band. Both Guitar Hero and Rock Band are fantastic games, but I’m a little bored of the rhythm action genre. Same old, same old. The Beatles, however, are my most listened to artist (according to Last.fm), but I’m strangely not excited about their collaboration with Rock Band.

Halo Reach. I’m not a Halo fan, so news of another Halo game doesn’t excite me at all. Bet I’m in the minority for that, though, eh?

I’m really intrigued to hear what other’s highlights and, er, lowlights were. Especially in regards to Facebook/Twitter, and the motion sensing camera. I will say that I had grown a little complacent about the Xbox 360’s future, simply because there wasn’t much on the horizon that excited me. But with the Left 4 Dead sequel, both Alan Wake and Final Fantasy XIII being given a rough release date, and finally getting to try out the Metal Gears Solid franchise, I’m all excited again!

Upon signing up to TA it aggregated all my GamerTag’s feeds; my gamerscore, my completion percentage, what Achievements I do and do not have, my friends list (well, the friends which are also signed up to TA, which is currently only one person), and other small nuggets of information.

My profile page looks as follows (click to see full page):

My favourite aspect of True Achievements, and how I actually came across it, is the ‘Achievement Details’ where you can find out specific information on a particular Achievement you’re chasing. Often other TA members have chimed in with various different ways of unlocking the Achievement, sometimes even with YouTube videos attached to give you further guidance. Undoubtedly handy for those ambiguous Achievements you’re not sure how to unlock, or the ones that have you seriously stumped. There are also figures for the stat whores out there (Sam, I’m looking at you), such as how many tracked gamers have unlocked the Achievement you’re looking at, as well as how many own the game etc.

The Achievement section looks as follows (again, click for full page):

While I don’t see myself using it for much beyond the feature I listed above, there’s actually a whole host of other attributes. You’ve probably already found a similar site you’re content with using; perhaps Xbox 360 Achievements, or Achieve 360 Points (the latter of which was my previous choice), but True Achievements has pretty much become my one stop shop site for video games now, seeing as it also has forums for each game, as well as reviews. But the best thing, in my opinion, is that it’s all user generated. Too often I find myself turning to other gamers for their opinion on video games - I seem to pay less and less attention to what video game journalists think, and am turning more so towards my friends or small gaming blogs, like Matt Brett’s. So, a video game site with user generated content is exactly what I’m looking for.

Something else that interested me, for no other reason than it’s fun to know, is the hardest Achievements I’ve unlocked (generated by statistics, not opinions). I swear, whenever someone asks me what Achievement I’m most proud of (not that it happens often, it’s not great conversation material with my non-gaming friends), I always say Mile High Club on Call of Duty 4. Surprisingly, that’s not anywhere on the list. But what is are 2 secret Achievements for Eternal Sonata, Brass Balls for Bioshock (which entailed playing through on Hard with the vita chambers turned off), Rainbow Six Legend (which entailed completing Rainbow Six:Vegas on Realistic difficulty), and Master Flicker for Skate (which entailed earning all Milestones for Skate, though I can’t remember that being particularly hard).

Why am I writing about a web site with irrelevant statistics and information on Achievements? I have no idea. But sign up anyway. CandyStoreRock needs more friends!

I missed two notes. TWO NOTES! Gutted. There also appears to be a slight delay between video and sound.

When I’m playing a JRPG - which just so happens to be now - I sit with a notepad by my side, jotting down notes whenever an ambiguous clue is given in conversation with a NPC. So, for example, some melancholy stranger (they’re always melancholy in JRPGs) will hint at buried treasure he’d concealed long ago in the past, just outside a dungeon you’ll happen to venture towards later in the game. Most people will have forgotten by the time they get there, but not I! No, I have it written down in my trusty moleskine. What’s even worse is that I then tick next to each objective I’ve completed. Okay, I’ll get my coat and leave now.

Trump me, I dare ya.

I’m a little fond of Japanese Role Playing Games, especially of the turn based variety. I like quirky characters, immersive story lines, secrets that can only be uncovered with 40+ hours of gameplay, and hunting for hidden treasures. Yes, I’m a geek. The next rainy day (or night, rather) that comes my way will see me begin Infinite Undiscovery, a game I had listed on my wish list way back in July. Before I begin, however, I want to turn my attention to all the other great JRPGs I’ve played on the 360, and while I have missed out on a couple so far, a lot of people still ask me what I’d recommend. Oh, and I must point out I won’t be going into any of the plot details here, simply because JRPGs generally follow the same, cliched story line, OK? So, in no particular order, let’s begin.

Enchanted Arms
Enchanted Arms was the first JRPG I played on the Xbox 360. Despite the awful criticism it was met with (at the time my publication of choice was X360, and they awarded it an embarrassing 4/10), I still took my chances because there weren’t a whole host of other options at the time.

It’s perhaps the most linear JRPG I’ve played to date, with the main quest being followed rather rigidly, with the ability to branch off and do one or two minute side quests. Sounds dull, right? Well, no, it wasn’t as bad as the reviewers made out. What saved Enchanted Arms, for me at least, was the innovative turn based battle system, which required you to think tactically to make the most of your attack. The battles, however, were at random, and happened all the effing time, meaning the game did get tedious at times. But you could buy an item to cut down on the numbers of random battles.

The graphics were stunning, and there was enough variety in environments for the game to be worth exploring. What the reviewers seemed to critique was the dodgy dialogue (though you could play with the original dialogue and subtitles turned on), as well as the many sexual innuendos shared between two male characters, Makoto and Toya. I think this perfectly sumps up the extent of Makoto’s campness.

Anyway, Enchanted Arms is definitely an acquired taste - not to mention a huge cliche, and despite it getting a bit of a beating in regards to reviews, it wasn’t as bad as the majority of reviewers made out. However, there are better JRPGs on the market now, so I wouldn’t recommend this beyond an attainable 1000 Gamerpoints.

Blue Dragon
While you were most likely playing Bioshock, I was getting stuck into a 4 disc extravaganza. Bioshock and Blue Dragon were both released on the same day in the UK, but I was far more excited about the latter because of the ‘big names’ attached to the title. The creator of Final Fantasy? The artist behind Dragon Ball? The composer behind Final Fantasy? Count me in.

Blue Dragon is a cutesy JRPG where you take control of Shu, a 16 year old boy who appears to have not yet hit puberty. There isn’t much to flaw with Blue Dragon, unless we head into Achievement territory. Unlike Enchanted Arms where the battles were generated randomly, Blue Dragon displayed the enemies on the battlefield, so you could choose to avoid them entirely or sneak up behind them with a back attack etc. The battles were turn based, with a touch of ‘Shadows‘.

Again, Blue Dragon felt somewhat linear, as it’s not until later on in the game you are able to revisit locations by teleporting. It’s also worth mentioning that this game has a strange fixation with poo. I’m not kidding. Poo. There are enemies called ‘King Poo, Poo Snake’ etc, and sometimes you’ll even find treasure buried deep within… POO. I wish I was kidding.

Admittedly, I haven’t played Blue Dragon for close to 2 years, and looking back there isn’t a great deal about it I remember, which is never a good sign. Having said that, it’s one of the few games I’ve kept in my collection since, with an eager intention of revisiting. Oh, and everything I do remember about it is with fond memories. If realism isn’t a factor you require when gaming, Blue Dragon is a worthy purchase.

Eternal Sonata
While Blue Dragon loved excrement, Eternal Sonata loved music, which is much more understandable, no? Eternal Sonata followed the same battle ethic as Blue Dragon; enemies could be seen beforehand, choosing to ignore them or attack, and it was all turn based.

The premise behind Eternal Sonata is super quirky. Essentially the story unfolds in composer Frederic Chopin’s head as he’s dying - kind of like a dream, though the other characters believe it to be real - so there are lots of musical references throughout. Weird, huh?! The art style is fantastic, a cel-shaded game with anime characters, and it’s definitely one of the nicest looking games I’ve ever played.

I played through Eternal Sonata twice (to get the full 1000), which is essential if you’re wanting to get everything possible from the game. A lot is unlocked only in the latter Chapters of your second playthrough, meaning it won’t be to everyone’s taste. Having said that, it’s not a massive time-sink as it is fairly linear (I’ve said that about every game here so far). A decent RPG, but it lacks the epic feel I like my role playing games to convey.

Lost Odyssey
I’m just going to say it right now. This is it. This is the JRPG you want. Lost Odyssey ticked all my boxes, and I’d heartily recommend it to anyone. It’s a massive game, with stunning graphics, interesting characters, a story that evokes the kind of emotion you’d get from watching a movie, humour, amazing writing, beautiful environments, convincing dialogue. It’s perfect.

Again, it’s another randomly generated turn based RPG, with a world map you can navigate around, as well as control over a ship later on in the game. Very Final Fantasyesque, right? Well it is made by the Final Fantasy creator, as is Blue Dragon. Lost Odyssey, however, is in a league of its own in comparison to other JRPGs on the 360. There are a multitude of side quests and battles, and the writing is of the best I’ve so far seen this generation. I can’t commend this game enough, and any RPG fan - or 360 owner - owes it to themselves to play it. Just make sure you have a large chunk of time to let yourself get sucked in, as this beauty spans across 4 discs.

There are others. Phantasy Star Universe, The Last Remnant (which is in my collection, but so far unplayed), and Infinite Undiscovery off the top of my head. Feel free to leave a comment if you’ve played any of these, including the ones I didn’t touch upon. You know where I stand with JRPGs on the 360 - Lost Odyssey is the way to go, and I’m urging you to buy it!