"What's your favourite game?"

First off, sorry for not having posted for a few days. I've been uber busy with work and stuff and haven't had much time for myself. Also yesterday was my boyfriend's birthday and our 3 year anniversary, so Happy Birthday and Congratulations to him/us =D.

tl;dr - I've been busy.
Moving on.

One of the questions people ask me most often when they find out I'm a gamer is "What's your favourite game?". I thought I'd answer it on this blog as it's quite a long answer, given that there are so many platforms and then there's genres and sub-genres and peripherals which enhance gameplay (Time Crisis, you know what I'm talkin' 'bout) and blah and blah blah blah.

Normally I ask them to specify a platform, because I like different platforms for different reasons and it would be unfair to give one game advantage over another because of its platform. I love playing online, but that's not going to make me say I prefer CoD over Time Crisis just because of the online capability, that's just not fair. The PS3 didn't exist back then. And then there's some games like Grand Theft Auto which I love for the Playstation but hate for the PC, or The Sims which I love for the PC but hate for the Playstation. Etc. You get the point. In spite of my question being perfectly reasonable, I'm inevitably told "Oh, I dunno, any?".

Deadlock.

I have a favourite for every platform. Do I list them all? Do I pick one at random? Or do I think really deeply and decide that I probably do have a favourite overall game?

After deep consideration, I have narrowed the deadlock down to three: Pokémon Blue (Gameboy), Shadow Hearts (PS2) and Red Dead Redemption (PS3).
These are quite simply the three games which I will never get bored of.

Pokémon Blue needs no explanation. It is a game of legend. Its imperfections are what made it perfect; the bugs and glitches make it so enigmatic. There is a lot to do, even if it does mean grinding for endless hours, and the storyline is fun, although not as detailed as it could've been. I still enjoy those run-ins with Oak's grandson, particularly when I've given him a rude name.
And to this day, Lavender Town shakes me to the core.

Shadow Hearts is a resonably little-known game published by Aruze and released for the PS2 in 2001. Keep your eyes open for more posts about this game, it is truly one to play. It has a battle system like no other game I have ever played, brilliant (and more importantly, original) storyline which incorporates real historical events and  satire throughout. Plus an awesome-cool protagonist named Yuri who is a harmonixer. I have played this game in excess of 30 times and for a while I was helping out a lot around the wiki as well. One time I attempted to write a walkthrough, although when I had a look at Johnathan Sawyer's  I gave up immediately.

Red Dead Redemption.. what can I say? I don't know many people who haven't played it, but for anybody that hasn't, think Grand Theft Auto with cowboys. I think this game is Rockstar's finest work. When I first played it, I remember looking at the horse's tail and the graphics just blew my mind. The only reason this game isn't my absolute tip-top favourite is because of the human rights violations made by Rockstar in the run-up to its release concerning overworking their staff. Totally worth it though. I am surprised I like this game so much given that I wasn't a big fan of Red Dead Revolver, it's predecessor, but this game is just wow. I have well over 100 hours of gameplay on my main save file which was spent getting the platinum trophy (my proudest trophy - it took blood sweat and tears). There is just so much to do! The world is expansive beyond belief, with three huge areas to explore. The soundtrack is unique in that it is made up as it goes along (see this video for awesome behind the scenes footage) and is supplemented with great songs by Ashtar Command and José Gonzales. My only issue with this game, and it is a minor one, is that the missions in the beginning are a bit samey. This doesn't bother me that much, but it bothers me when people won't play through the rest of the game because of it. They are missing out on so much.

So this is a semi-in-depth look at my favourite games. Stay tuned for more on the Shadow Hearts series, and again, apologies for not posting for a few days. Have a good Friday =D

.

The Games That Time Forgot Vol. 2: Jak and Daxter

It's 2AM and I'm jacked on caffeine. That can only mean one thing.
The games that time forgot!

Okay, so time didn't really forget this game because this year it was re-released as an HD collection for the PS3, but I'm really basing this series of reviews around the games which shaped my childhood and my early gaming experiences. And this is definitely one of them.

JAK and DAXTER: the PRECURSOR LEGACY
Rating: 5/5

One morning I went out to the local game store with my Dad to trade in some old games and get a shiny new one, and I saw Jak and Daxter: Precursor Legacy on the shelf. My Dad told me we could get it but he was sure it would suck. One week on and he was as hooked as I was, and despite the fact that we're now 20 and 44 years old, we enjoyed a recent playthrough together. Just like when I was a youngster.

What makes this game so special though?
There's no easy way to answer this, because this game really holds a special place in my heart. It's right there in the core along with Pokémon Red/Blue and Shadow Hearts (more on these later). For starters, I think this is one of the first 3D games I played, so the freedom of being able to move not only left and right, but forwards and backwards, side to side, up and down and any other which way you can imagine was so new to me. Nowadays that doesn't mean so much, but back when there were "3D" games like Crash Bandicoot where it was actually extremely difficult to judge the depth properly, this was a whole new world. I believe this was published in 2001, and the graphics were impeccable on the original version. Even to this day they are still very good, very eye-catching and very fun. Colourful but not annoyingly so. There's nothing worse than boring graphics in a game.

Ignoring this though, what makes this game still stand out in 2012? The humour is broad enough to keep kids and adults alike entertained, it's just the right difficulty for casual gameplay, the plot is pretty unique, Jak looks totally badass and there is quite a lot to do in terms of collectibles and sidequests. Essentially, it has everything you would expect from a modern day game, minus online capability and a bit of length.

For those interested, the HD re-release comes on a disc with the original game, Jak II: Renegade and Jak 3. It's 3D TV compatible (I wish I could experience that for myself) and for the original Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy game it has 39 trophies including the platinum. When I got it it was retailing at around £30 but I think that's dropped now.

Without giving too much of the plot away for those who haven't played it, when Jak and Daxter travel to Misty Island, Daxter is attacked by a 'lurker' and falls into a vat of Dark Eco, which causes him to turn into the ferret-like creature you see above. He is actually an Ottsel, an otter-weasel hybrid, but I like ferrets better.

Green Eco Vent

Eco is an energy used in the game, and comes in different forms:

• Dark Eco - Dangerous. Stay Away.
• Green Eco - Replenishes Health
• Blue Eco - Used to trigger switches, draw in items and increase speed
• Red Eco - Increases attack power
• Yellow Eco - Pew Pew. Fires energy balls as a weapon.

The different Ecos can really enhance the gameplay, although the locations are quite limited at times. Some Ecos are necessary for minigames and also for normal progression, but you can find vents around the world to charge you up, though they're mostly placed in a supply-demand sort of way. That said, it's super fun to charge up with Yellow Eco and just blow some random stuff up.

The pair seek help to turn Daxter back into the human he once was, but are told by Samos, the sage of Green Eco, that only person who can help is Gol, the sage of Dark Eco. And so their quest begins. In order to reach Gol, they must pass through the regions of various sages, collecting 'Power Cells' along the way to fuel their equipment. When you eventually reach Gol there's a big boss fight and such, but I won't ruin the ending. I'll just say that in spite of being theoretically simple, that boss fight is pretty hard. The whole game is littered with humour too - this isn't one to be taken dead seriously.
Then there are the collectible 'precursor orbs'; 2000 in the entire game. On my recent playthrough I had just one left to find and it drove me crazy, but I eventually found it and got my platinum. Just a word of advice, if you see an orb, don't save it for later.

Left-Right: Jak, Daxter and Keira (The romantic interest)

As in pretty much any game, there is also a love story but it doesn't amount to much. I think this might be because Jak doesn't say a word throughout the whole game. I like a silent protagonist though, I think it makes him more enigmatic.

This was one of the greatest games released on the PS2 in my opinion, and I really think anybody who hasn't already played it should play it - PS2 or PS3. It really is very entertaining, and the rest of the game series isn't bad either, though it does get a lot darker.

You Know You're a 90's Kid When..

Nah I'm joking. I'd never say that. The only people who say that are those born in 1997-1999.
Anywho, this is just a really quick post to share what I came across last night.
So here it is. The Sims 3: 70's, 80's and 90's Stuff.
Pre-ordered (mainly for the 90's stuff).

Good Friday

My revised version of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2

Today has certainly been a good day, with my pre-order of Sims 3: Seasons available for download and my CoD: Blops 2 arriving in the post. I thought I'd take a moment to share my joy with everybody.

I have had to alter the Call of Duty game a little bit due to my irrational fear of zombies. I do however feel that the revised version has a lot of potential and I'm sure I'll find it thoroughly enjoyable - as will most 5 year old girls and lepidopterologists. I haven't actually played it yet, but I hear good things so I am thoroughly looking forward to playing Nuketown 24/7 with my other half tomorrow. I may or may not review it, to be honest I only really play CoD online, but I'll see how it rolls.

Preeeeeetty

I have managed to play a bit of Sims 3: Seasons today and so far I am really enjoying it. Not really important, but I think that out of all the Sims 3 games this one has my favourite loading screen so I screencapped it for you.. Keep your eyes peeled for a review coming up in the next week or so, after I've had time to play around with the gameplay mechanics and see all the new aspects.

Posts may be a bit sparse over the weekend as I work ridiculous hours. I'll be sure to get plenty of gaming done over the weekend and I'll feed back on Monday. Have a good one!

The Perfect Genetics Challange Vol. 1

Evelyn Keller

I'm feeling simmy today with the imminent release of Seasons, so here is a Sims post.
Despite having so many games to play right now for the PS3, I just can't keep away from the Sims 3: Supernatural. (I can only play this with a No Zombie Mod. Yup.).

I've been doing the "Perfect Genetics Challenge" as created by Gurra09 over on modthesims.
Basically, you create a sim with non-default coloured hair and eyes, who then has to go on to produce an "heir" - that is a child with the same hair and eyes. It is SO addictive.

I'm on generation 4 right now, and the goal of the challenge is to get to generation 10. My starting sim was named Evelyn Keller. Now given that the chance of getting the genetics right decreases with each generation, my town is full of sims. And I mean full. So to keep things interesting I installed Twallan's Story Progression mod (Found: Here) and watched what happened. Let me draw you a family tree of where I am so far.

Sorry for the crudely drawn diagram on paint.

I'll post occasional updates/pictures of where I am with this. It's pretty fun to play through, especially when you end up with 15 children.

5.5 Reasons Why you Need to Buy DoA 5

Disclaimer: Xboxers may assume that there are only 5 reasons to buy DoA5, but that is still 5 more reasons than you had before.

1) You don't already have it.
Seriously. If you don't have it, that should be reason enough.

Eliot and Brad Wong. They hold the title for my favourite cutscene in the game.
Dat last rice ball.

2) It's sexy.
I may be heterosexual, but when there is that much boob bouncing around anybody would be interested. Also for the more pixelosexual individual, it comes with the option to toggle character sweating and also to toggle whether their clothes get dirty during a fight. Ooh la la.
Interestingly, in an earlier demo of DoA5, the female characters had more realistic, ahem, proportions. True to Dead or Alive style though, they scratched this idea and brought back the gargantuan busts. I'm just not sure the game would feel the same without them.
Also - unlockable bikini outfits for Tina, Lisa and Christie. Need I say more?

Left - Right: Tina, Lisa, Christie. To unlock these you need to be a professional or be really good at spamming moves.
Particularly Lisa, who requires 100 consecutive wins in survival mode on the highest difficulty setting.

3) It's tactical
DoA has a large moveset anyway - I have never been able to truly master more than just one character (Kasumi). This is very much expanded on with the inclusion of 3 - yes three - Virtua Fighter characters. The unlockable Akira Yuki, Sarah Bryant and Pai Chan are notorious if used properly. The drawback of this is that when you are doing the training mode for the moves they require precise timing in order to execute them properly. This had me screaming and crying several times. I suggest you do not attempt the training for these characters if there is somebody you don't really like in close proximity to you.
You will hit them.

4) Graphics
The graphics are truly stunning with this game. I can't do them justice with words, you really do have to see them to appreciate just how good they are. Even the most insignificant objects are extremely detailed. The character movements are smooth, edges are crisp, colours are bright and at no point do you experience the annoyance of being in such a dark setting that the only thing you can see is Kasumi's white-stockinged leg fly up into the air as you get tragically beaten up by Zack. If you get the opportunity to play a demo of this, you should really try it out just to see the graphics for yourself.

5) It has a lot of content

New character, Mila. She
works part time in a diner and
is a huge fan of Bass - and his
daughter Tina.

Now this may be because I haven't played a DoA game since DoA 2, but there is just so much to do in this game it's unreal. Aside from the two new characters Mila (an MMA fighter) and Rig (the awesome Taekwondo master) there's over 500 titles you can earn, 4 characters to unlock, unlockable costumes, story mode, ranked online mode, training mode (with the option to display move details), a whole host of trophies, and the traditional arcade, time attack and survival modes available in both single matches and tag. On top of all this you are able to select from seven difficulty levels for a truly varied game experience. I really love how easy it is to customise this game to your needs and I think that the amount of game you get for your money is excellent.

New character, Rig. A canadian who runs
the oil rig in which Bass works. The two
are friends to some extent.

5.5) It is the first main series DoA game released for a Playstation console since DoA 2 back in 2001.
This was exciting enough for me to pay $70 CAD for it and then return to England and pay a further £10 for an online pass. Or rather my boyfriend picked me up the game and some poutine and we eventually reached an agreement that I wouldn't have to pay him back for it. This does only count as half a reason due to the fact it was released on both the Xbox 360 and the PS3, and Xboxers have been able to play all of the DoA games in between 2 and 5.

The Games that Time Forgot: Vol. 1 - Klonoa

Happy Thursday!
Over the next however-long-it-takes I'll be doing a series of reviews of the games which shaped my childhood. If you haven't played these already then you really should. Or most of them at least. Some of them are just good for a laugh or to occupy you for twenty minutes.
First on the agenda - The Klonoa series: Klonoa: Door to Phantomile and Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil.
I have also just discovered that Klonoa: DtP is available on the PS Store, so bear with me one moment.
*Purchases*
Okay. Let's get started.

KLONOA: DOOR to PHANTOMILE
Rating: 4/5

The first PS game I bought with my own money. I feel that I had good taste as a 5 year old.

Klonoa: Door to Phantomile is a cutesy platformer following a fluffy non-human thingy (named Klonoa, unsurprisingly) and his ring spirit Huepow. I'm not sure why, but as a kid this game seemed like it was endless. Following a recent replay, I realise now that it is in fact only about 45 minutes if you know what you're doing. Nonetheless, it is still a fun game to play and not only because of the nostalgia. It essentially follows the same template as mostly every other game - you rescue somebody and save the day. But what makes this game special to me is the enemies. The Moos.

GAHHH THEY'RE ADORABLE.

These little critters are also your main enemy. You zap them with your ring spirit and they inflate into ballooney type things which you then throw around in order to complete puzzles and destroy enemies.

I don't remember too much more about the original Klonoa game, other than that the storyline is quite interesting. It's about a place named Phantomile, which is fuelled by people's dreams. This causes everybody to forget their dreams. But I won't say too much more about the storyline. For the time period, the graphics are quite nice too. It's really worth a look in. And if you enjoy this, then wait until you see..

KLONOA 2: LUNATEA'S VEIL

Rating: 4.5/5

Again, a cutesy platformer following the same unidentifiable human-animal Klonoa as he attempts to help the Priestess Lolo and her dog-thingy Popka. What I like about this is that it breaks away from being just another platformer by way of the inclusion of annoyingly fun and addictive mini-games. Also the Moos return in this title to my great joy. Graphically, Lunatea's Veil greatly improves upon the graphics of its predecessor although both graphically and narratively it has a bit more edge. Still cutesy, but more "Aww" than "SQUEEE".

The games are both very short, so I think if I say a whole lot more I will give away the plot. And a game without a plot is like a chocolate fireman. Useless.
So please, if you ever get the chance, do check these games out. They were pretty underrated and I think they deserve a little more credit because they hold a special place in the platformer folder in my heart.

My Pre-order Shopping List

My last post inspired me to confess my list of stuff which I have reserved now for free in the hopes that I have the money come the release date.
- GTA V
- Wii U
- Sims 3 Seasons (This week!)
And
- CoD: Black Ops 2

Just to clarify, I did pre-order CoD in June. I however forgot to put my new bank details on Amazon and so have not yet received my copy of Call of Duty. And I waited so long D:
D'oh.
Although, I have an irrational, unshakable fear of Zombie games. And apparently the best part is zombie mode. This cheers me up slightly as I'm not really missing out on much other than young boys telling me they fornicated with my mother after I headshot them in team deathmatch.
This zombie thing though.. gosh. I even bought RDR: Undead Nightmare because I'd watched a YouTube playthrough and it was so awesome, but to this day I still cannot play it.

Is there anything that should be on this list that isn't?
Other than a cure for videogame zombie fear ><

GTA V - New Trailer, Any Good?

So the new Grand Theft Auto V trailer aired on the IGN page a few hours ago, but I missed it because I was at work. I'm wondering if it was any good.
I'm not a huge fan of San Andreas - I much preferred Vice City - so I really don't know what to think about GTA V (but I still pre-ordered it anyway at the price of £50).
Anybody seen it?

Welcome!

Welcome to ABYX! My name is Bek, your friendly neighborhood gamer and blogger extraordinaire. Here I hope to eventually be posting news, reviews and general ramblings, so stay tuned ^_^