Time To Relax

So I have started making more time to relax and play games as of late, and I have to say I wish I would have done it sooner. No longer will I be spending the best part of a day on a website doing things, I mean why should I when others ignore it and spend time gaming or doing something else. I hate to think of how many hours I have put into doing site work, which could/should have been spent elsewhere. As a result I have decided I will limit the amount of time I spend doing stuff, when I return to Console Heroes.

So just what are some of the games I have been, and am going to be playing in the upcoming weeks while I take a break?

Outrun Arcade Online

This is basically Outrun 2SP converted to the XBLA. It's a great game for 20 minute blasts of racing every now and then, and very enjoyable to say the least. The game sees you trying to reach one of the finishing points (A-E) before you run out of time. Also thrown in for good measure are Heart Attack and Time Attack modes to add a bit more longevity to the game, As well as online multi player racing. This game is worth 800 points although it is a little short, if I was rating it I would give it a 7/10.

Dynasty Warriors Gundam 2

I hated DW: Gundam, there was just something about it I just didn't like. Gundam 2 is basically exactly the same game with quite a few tweaks and improvements. As a result this follow up has been improved significantly over the previous game. I have already clocked up a fair bit of time on the game already, and the game doesn't seem to have an end in sight. The story is a bit crappy and I have never really been a Gundam fan, however if you like the Dynasty Warriors series of games then it is worth a try. I give it a 7/10

Guitar Hero Metallica

I wasted all of yesterday playing this game from lunch time onwards. I feared this would be similar to Guitar Hero Aerosmith (a game that had only a few of their best tracks) My fears were lay to rest as soon as I booted the game up and started Career mode. I have to say that this has to be the best Guitar Hero game I have played, the selection of songs is pretty great overall. There are one or two tracks I wouldn't have minded seeing on there but overall this is what you would expect from a best of Metallica collection. The other bands on the game don't feel out of place with the exception of a couple of tracks. If you like Metallica then this game is for you, I give it an 8/10.

WWE Legends of Wrestlemania

This is one of the worst wrestling games I have had the misfortune to play in a long time. It may have seemed a great idea on paper, and it probably could have been. Something must have seriously gone wrong in the development stages though, as what we ended up with was a game that even WWE Raw on the Xbox outshines. The game just isn't fun to play at all, with it's simple four button control system. If I were going to review this crap I would give it a 4/10.

So that is what I have recently been playing, games on the horizon include Afro Samurai, God Father 2 and a few others. Oh and quite a bit more of Call of Duty 4 as that games pretty awesome to play online.

How Much For 6 Days Play?

On the 26th of March I decided to restart my Final Fantasy XI account. As many of you will know Final Fantasy XI is an online MMORPG with PS2, PC and 360 gamers all being able to play together. Like most MMORPG's you have to pay each month to play the game, Final Fantasy XI costs £8.99 ($13) which is about the average price so I am told.

The reason why I decided to restore my account is because I like to purchase Final Fantasy games, and as the expansion pack "Wings of the Goddess" was on sale I felt the need to purchase it. To justify the purchase of the expansion I felt I needed to actually at least play Final Fantasy XI again.

Look at the stunning graphics!!

Upon the time I quit I was a lowly level 14 Warrior so basically I hadn't really done to much in the game, that is apart from kill Bees, Worms, Rock Lizards and Quadav's. Since returning I now have a a character that is a level 19 Monk with a level 8 Warrior as the sub job. To be honest I started to enjoy the game and thought I would play it at least once or twice a week. Now I am thinking about if it is worth it, after finding out that Square took out a months payment for 6 days play. All because I restarted my account on the 26th of March.

I thought that you get charged each month for a months playtime. (So basically after 30 days I would get charged.) Would I have been charged £9 if I started my account on the 30th or 31st of March? According to Squares Technical Support Team I would have done. Apparently it is in the Terms and Conditions that nobody ever reads. So basically because I happened to decide to play the game a few days before the end of a month I get hit with a full months charge.

Why doesn't it look like this on my 360?

Square should think about new and returning users and really adjust the price accordingly, so if you re register the game after the 10th of the month you get charged 2/3's of the price, if it is after the 20th 1/3 this would be much fairer price point and may encourage people to return to Final Fantasy XI. As apposed to getting charged £9 for 6 days play and getting pissed off about it.

Final Fantasy XI is outdated and there are much better MMO's out there, so Square should try to be helpful and encourage players to return instead of pulling crazy crap like this. Maybe it's a sign telling me that Final Fantasy XI just isn't for me, or maybe I should learn to read all the boring crap in the Terms and Conditions from now on.

No More Heroes

No More Heroes puts you in the shoes of loser Travis Touchdown, an assassin ranked 11th in the United Assassins Association of hit men. Driven by the desire to sleep with Sylvia Christel (A woman who is a lot more than she first seems to be) leads him onto a quest to be ranked the number one assassin. Armed with your beam katana (A bit like a light saber) there is very little that can stand in your way.

This game isn't what I really expected after hearing all the hype surrounding it, there are some parts that I really enjoy while others just seem to suck. Yes the game is fun to play as you battle your way to the next ranked person on the list, however I disliked the whole motorbike and job sections.

What An Awesome Mini Map! (Sad Face)

I understand why you have to work as the characters a bum, but knocking coconuts out of a tree and then carrying them to some guy just seems slightly retarded. Especially when you consider he has no customers and the trees are right by him. There are more jobs to do besides this one such as lawn mowing and garbage collection, but these just seem a bit dumb all the same.

You have to work as you have to pay to challenge the person above you on the assassins list. Maybe they made it this way just to fill the game out a bit more, but I can't say I am the biggest fan of these sections. There are also some side missions that you can do to earn money which make it a bit more interesting, as you battle to kill so many people or eliminate a target in a set amount of time.

Now This Is More Like It, These Are The Best Parts (Happy Face)

Another thing about the motorbike sections is the map is a pain in the ass to use, and you can end up being on the wrong side of a set of the building you want to enter, as the map isn't very clear. This could have easily been fixed with the addition of way points and a simple arrow to follow to your destination. The bike also handles like a piece of crap as well.

Despite these failings the main part of the game is all about combat, and this is where the game gets a lot better. The game is a lot like the old school beat em ups, where you have to defeat numerous enemies before the big bad ass end of level boss. (A bit like in Final Fight and Streets of Rage)

That Tiger Is There All The Time For Some Reason

The game does have some nice touches such as you getting phone calls before each boss fight and the voice coming through your Wii-mote. It's just a shame that the speaker in the Wii-mote isn't all that great making it sound a bit crappy. One other touch I liked was when your inside the baseball stadium and an enemy throws a baseball at you, which turns into a scene from Wii Sports with you swinging at the ball and knocking it straight back at the enemy and any others behind them taking them all out.

One thing I did feel a bit strange about was charging my beam katana, you see it only has a certain battery life before it stops being useful. The only way to charge it is by holding down the 1 button and shaking the stick Wii-mote from side to side, which on the screen ends up looking like your character is jerking off his katana.

This Is The Kind Of Graphics You See On A Wii

The game is pretty strange to say the least, but it is strange in a good way with a tongue in cheek plot. Throw in some odd weird moments such as the video store ringing to let you know your copy of "Big German Boobies 40" is overdue and you see what I mean. I think this game may also hold the record for most offensive words used in a video game as well, which is surprising as it's on a Nintendo machine.

The graphics aren't all that great in the game overall, but that is down to the game being on the Wii. (It also can't help that I am playing it on a 42 inch TV) The sound in the game is pretty cool and suits the action that is going on at the time. The control system works really well, and with an in depth tutorial that explains all the controls at the start you shouldn't have any problems at all.

The Price Of Arcade Games

Well this weeks XBLA games are Flock and Puzzle Quest Galactrix, and I have to say that I am quite disappointed. I guess I just don't like spending money on something I can't actually physically pick up and hold in my hand. At 400 and 800 Microsoft points I didn't mind buying them as much, but since that has shot up with 1600 points equalling around £14 a game, I won't be buying as many as I would have in the past.

So just what is it that has made Microsoft put the prices up all of a sudden for most of the XBLA titles? Is it because of the developer saying they want more money? Personally I think it's because Microsoft are trying it on, to see how many suckers will pay double for a game that would have cost 400-800 points if it was released 6 months or so ago. Yet looking back my statement is incorrect.

Damn You Luminies, You Started All This!

Luminies was released on the Marketplace back in October 2006 for the price of 1600 points, this was followed up with Robo Blitz in December with the price being 1200 points. This can be seen as an experiment by Microsoft to see just how much people are willing to pay for arcade games. This seemed to work at first with Luminies being a big seller, yet Robo Blitz just didn't sell that well. The reason for this could be that Luminies was a well known title and top selling PSP game for over a year before its Xbox Live debut. So that would explain why so many people were eager to pay 1600 points for the game.

Since then there have been a few other attempts to sell games for 1200 and 1600 points, (Penny Arcade Episode One was released for 1600 points, which shocked quite a lot of people and didn't sell to well, a point proven by the sequel being released for the lower price point of 1200 points.) Microsoft saw that gamers were willing to spend the points when Braid and Castle Crashers hit the Marketplace in August of 2008, Both of these games sold as everyone bought one or both of these great titles.

Buy a 400 point game? Oh wait they no longer exist (Sad face)

It was of little surprise that just a short time later (October 2008) three games appeared with a cost of 1200 points each. (Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?, Portal: Still Alive and Penny Arcade Episode 2.) Since these sold pretty well it was of little surprise that in November 2008, Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix was released with a 1200 point price tag. December saw the release of Banjo Kazooie and another 1200 point price tag.

2009 so far has only seen a few 1200 point games so far with these being rather lack luster titles like Death Tank, R-Type Dimensions and recently March Madness 2009. We are once again seeing a return of the 1600 price point for games making a return, such games as The Watchmen and the Puzzle Quest sequel Galactrix.

1600 point arcade game or the GTA IV DLC? No contest really

Recently Botafogo did an article on Console Heroes asking where all the 400 point arcade games have gone. Well I have the answer for him, they have been replaced by the community games, you know the mass majority of shit that you can play for free on the internet but they get to charge you for. It is thanks to these that Microsoft can charge more for arcade games, as if your willing to pay 400 points for a game someone coded at home, then surely something a team of professionals have made should cost more.The only way that Microsoft would be forced to think about adjusting the price of games again is if nobody bought the games.

Retail games in the UK are seeing a drop in price as of late. Mirrors Edge is available for £13.50 in the UK making it on par with a 1600 point game. This game only came out in November 2008 and already it is at a bargain price, and it's not the only game that has seen a price reduction. Heck most new retail titles are being released at around £20 cheaper than they would have done in the past, with recent titles available from new for around £25-30 being Wheelman, Wanted (With free copy of the movie) WWE Legends and more games to boot. Even the new Bionic Commando game is available to pre-order for £30.

Mirrors Edge new and sealed for the price of an arcade game?

So why should I buy a game for half the price that may only last an hour, (80 minutes for The Watchmen game) When I can pay double the price and get a game that will last me a lot longer, and also be something that I can trade in towards another game if I decide not to keep it. A look at the recent DLC for GTA IV also shows that the price points are all messed up for arcade games, as for only 1600 points the DLC adds on 12 hours plus of game play to the original game. So which would you choose GTA IV DLC or The Watchmen Episode One?

Epic in the past said that they wanted to give away some maps for free but Microsoft wouldn't let them. This is the same Microsoft that says that the developers set the price points for their games. 1200 points for a excellent game is worth it, but 1600 points is just taking the piss. Well all I can say is congratulations to whoever is responsible for pricing the games at a cost I am no longer willing to pay, especially in this current climate. I won't even comment on the joke that is Hasbro's Family Game Night, I will save that for another time.

Gears Is Fun?

Gears of War 2 is fun! There I said it and feel a bit dirty for doing so. Gears of War has never been my favourite multi player game, with it's retarded spawns, host advantage and numerous other problems. Yet playing it yesterday with Graf1k and Jerzey Devil (You went from Spartan to that? Come on John seriously?) I had a lot of fun. It could be that yesterday was the first day in ages I have actually had time to sit down and play a game, or it could be that it's because we played over 50 rounds of Horde.

You see with Horde mode you don't have to worry about who is the host or any other crap like that. You just get to play against bot's that get progressively harder as you clear wave after wave. There is no need to worry about host advantage as the only way you can die is through your own foolish mistakes, or on the odd occasion the enemies act like cheap bastards and spawn behind you.

Wrong game? Oh noees I thought it was Fenix! (Sad Face)

After playing Horde for a while a few more people got online (Docman and Rocket) so we decided to play some Ranked Multi player. (I couldn't believe it when I found out that Epic had done the right thing, and made me the ranked number one gamer in the world.) Playing multi player started to remind me why I hated playing Gears of War online, as I blasted one player 4 times from point blank range with my shotgun and he didn't die. This will always happen though up until Gears gets dedicated servers for the game, instead of supposedly picking the person who has the best connection. (A connection that on more than one occasion last night Graf1k referred to as "Lagtastic".)

Sure I am not the best Gears player in the world, but I am also not the worst either. (Which is pretty surprising even if I do say so myself.) I managed to finish in the top 3-4 on our team quite a few times, so I can't be all that bad really. Although these kills were normally quickly followed by my death, as I chainsawed one person while his two team mates were stood at the side of them. Needless to say I was shotgunned mid-slice as I tore them a new one.

This is the right game isn't it?

I don't know what is up with the bots either, they are near enough indestructible as they go around tearing people up. This can also give the other team an unfair advantage as the bot player could be far superior to the player they are replacing. Throw in the fact that they don't suffer from lag either, and it makes the games a bit unfair when five of you play against two people and three bots.

Despite all the flaws and the odd occasions where we got our assess kicked through unfair advantages, I actually enjoyed playing Gears 2. That isn't to say I will be playing the game religiously now, I may grab the game from my shelf for a quick blast every now and then. Which is something I wouldn't have thought about before.

Happy Time

Well the last few weeks/months have been a real shitter for me, but I am finally starting to see a bit of light at last. As a result I am feeling exhausted and just need to relax and try and get a bit of normality back in my life. Those close to me know some of the things that have been going on in my life, and still currently are going on.

The year started off well for me, but just a few weeks in things started getting worse. As things stand most of the problems are still there, but a few of the things causing me stress have now been sorted out. Which is a good thing as I feel the weight slowly start to lift off my shoulders and start feeling like things maybe ok after all.

A bonus thing is I am currently also looking to improve my education, and have been working towards that with the result being a pass in my first English exam yesterday. Now I just need to follow that up with my second English exam and then my Maths. I am doing it for no other reason than to prove to myself that I can better myself, and am not worthless like I have felt so many times before.

Don't trust me either, my Engrish also the suck

Throw in the fact that if things turn out well in my job over the next couple of weeks, it could be something that is a step in the right direction towards becoming a qualified teacher sometime down the line. Something I never thought I would look at doing since I really hated school with a passion, especially the whole classroom vibe.

At the moment though it's a wait and see game with all that though, and I still have one or to other issues to deal with that are unrelated to my career. The main thing is I am feeling burnt out by everything that has happened, and just need a bit of time to relax and not worry about this or that. So as a result I am going to be taking a few days off thinking about what I have to do on Console Heroes, and just try and enjoy myself and rest up before I snap and disappear into a bottle as I have done many times in the past.

Bring on the Happy Time! (No Gayness)

So expect to see me back on Xbox Live over the next few days, and posting as a member on the forums with no intention of doing any work from 1pm today. Life is supposed to be filled with ups and downs, well I have had enough downs so it's time to concentrate on the ups for a change and try to enjoy life.

The Aftercast?

What originally started as my own blog has now changed into The Aftercast, but just how did this all come about? Well after chatting with Cody at around 6am I asked if he wanted access to my blog, so he could then post some stuff during the week instead of having to wait until the podcast to get something off his chest.

Things featured here will be things that I can't really say on Console Heroes, as it just don't seem to fit in with the site. So in other words it will be more of the same random bollocks that I normally post but with Cody's slant on things thrown in as an added bonus. So expect to see this being updated a bit more than it has recently. (It would have been updated sooner except real life got in the way, shitty shitty real life.)

Err... Hi Boss, I am on my break honest!

So basically thats it, I still haven't had much chance to game as of late which sucks balls to say the least. I am however going to be taking my DS to work, so hopefully I can hide for about an hour or five and play on that. It is rather sad that I have to do sneaky things like this to play a game, but a gamer must do sneaky things like this from time to time to get their gaming fix.

I long to just spend one evening sat in front of my TV and catch up on some of the games sat gathering dust on my shelf. Hopefully it won't be to much longer before normal gaming service resumes again.