Why the heck didn't I play this sooner? Assassins Creed 2

So the other day while bored I decided to have a look at what games I have on my shelf that I still haven't gotten around to playing. (Far to many for my liking; especially when I picked some up on release that are now bargain bin regulars) I then stumbled across Assassins Creed 2, or should I say Assassins Creed 2, Brotherhood and 3. All 3 games had been bought as gifts and just sat sealed on my games shelf gathering dust as I had no inkling to play them after trying to collect all the flags in the first game.

I thought I may as well give Assassins Creed 2 a go just to see if things had changed much from the first game; I don't know if it's because I am bored of playing the same fps's over and over again or if the game is just a quality title. One thing I do know though is that I am really enjoying the experience, although I am determined not to collect all the feathers in this game. One of the reasons for this is with my gaming time now being limited I just want to play as many games as I can for fun rather than spend hours on end collection things for a trophy that like achievements doesn't mean shit to me.

I have to say that it's a combination of things that make Assassins Creed 2 so enjoyable to play; one part being the tomb raider-esque levels that see you working out how to get to a specific area. (Although there aren't to many of these in the game) Overall though I am finding that the game still looks pretty good after all these years and the controls, sound and gameplay all add up to one enjoyable experience. I don't know if I will play one of the next game's in the series straight after completing AC2 but I am now more inclined to play them in the very near future.

Impressions: Tekken Revolution

So Namco have released Tekken Revolution on the PS3 and the best thing about it is it is free to play, being free to play though does mean that the game does have it's down sides to it as well. That doesn't stop this game being the solid fighting game that we all know Tekken to be; and with a host of characters to choose from straight off and others unlocked by playing the game you won't really be stuck for choice as all your favourite characters are included.

A couple of the downsides to the game being free to play is that there is no local 2 player option which is something that is something of a bad thing as you now have to take it in turns to play against either the computer or against another player online. Then there is also the issue of needing tokens to play which you can use up pretty quickly during online play; you do get more of these over time (Like in Facebook games) or you do have the dreaded option to buy more from the playstation store. (Something you really shouldn't do as it's a waste of real money)

Despite the downsides though Tekken Revolution does offer a good experience and harks back to the olden days with everything stripped down so only arcade and online multi-player modes included. The game also includes a new system where you can level up your characters enhancing their power, endurance and vigor. While playing I didn't experience any lag as the game looks for the best connections for you; which is a relief as in previous fighting games I have had some ropey experiences to say the least.

So should you give Tekken Revolution a try? Even if you had to pay £5 for it I would say it was worth the money so at free it's a bargain; so go download it and I may see you for a match online.

Why PS+ Should Be An Essential Purchase For PS3 Owners

If you own a PS3 and don't have PS+ then you are  missing out, PS+ is the on thing that Sony does right that Microsoft really should try to emulate. PS+ gives you a range of  free items each month, this can be anything from games, themes and avatars which are yours as long as you subscribe, as well as discounts on other items on the PSN store. I know a lot of people say that sometimes there isn't anything that they want the odd month here and there, but for £40 a year you get a lot of bang for your bucks. (Especially when you compare it with an xbox live subscription that only lets you play online, chat and message people on your friends list)

Another argument is that as soon as you stop paying your subscription you lose the ability to play the free games you downloaded. Yet when your live subscription runs out you get nothing either, it's subscription based for a reason and that's so you keep paying Sony money for a service that is actually pretty good.

This month alone you get the following free PS3 games.

• Awesomenauts 
• Hamsterball 
• Wakeboarding HD
• Mahjong Tiles
• Sky Fighter
• Ricochet HD
• Mushroom Wars
• Magic Orbz
• Smash Cars
• Silent Hill (PSone Classic)
• Max Payne (PS2 Classic)
• Velocity (Mini)
• LA Gridlock (Mini)

The normal combined price of these games comes to £94.32, then you have the free Themes and Avatar's which normally sell for £4.23 so that's a total saving of £98.55 on all the content, minus what you actually pay per month and it works out you have got all those for only £3.33 a month.Ok I know that this month is a really good month for Plus users, and some months we only get about 5-6 games. (Some of which suck ass) Yet can you really argue with paying so little for a good deal? That isn't including the discounts you get on other items on the store by being a plus member. Then add to this that you can download the games to two separate consoles as well and the deal gets even better.

I realise this may seem like it has just turned into an advert for Plus; yet it is just a me as a fellow gamer trying to let other games know just why in my opinion you should get something worthwhile. The fact that Sony paid me a wad of cash to write this and advertise Plus has nothing to do with it all. :p

My (Reduced) Gaming Habits

It's a strange time for me in my life as a gamer, sure I am still playing quite often and snatching an hour or 2 here and there to game. Yet I tend to get bored quite a bit lately or will put a game in and then just leave it on the main menu and go and do something else; returning an hour or so after only to turn the system back off. Then add to this that my fiancee is heavily pregnant and I have to watch that she doesn't start to feel neglected by the amount of time I spend gaming when I get in from work, then balance that with spending time with my son at the weekend and it's surprising how much little time I have for my hobby that used to take up most of my day.

Yet still I recently purchased a new 360 despite there only being a few games on it that I wanted to play since most games these days are multi-format with the exception of a few system exclusives. The games I wanted a new 360 for where Gears and the Sega Saturn classic Guardian Heroes; other than these it was so that the 100+ xbox 360 games I already own were available for me to play when I felt like it. (Some of which I had purchased again since my last 360 died for the PS3 that I really enjoyed playing)

Since Friday I have spent about 5 hours re-downloading my purchases from xbox live to my new console and messing with my router; since the 360 decided to keep disconnecting from live every 20 minutes or so for some strange reason. Then there has been the time I spent downloading Guardian Heroes and the 3 minutes I spent playing it before realising I just really can't be arsed playing it at the moment. I have spent quite a bit of time on Gears 3 playing Horde mode with randoms that seem to enjoy playing for about 5-10 waves then quitting like little bitches, or playing with noobs that want you to help them up when they are downed yet ignore you when it's you that needs the favour returning. (Which is a pretty fucking dumbass move since its a team game)

I also popped Call of Duty 2 into my 360 and invited some of my xbox live buddies into an online game to take the piss as they were all playing Modern Warfare 3. Surprisingly enough they didn't join so I ended up playing against a random that was still playing the game online (after the 6 years or soof the game first coming out on the 360) and managed to beat him. I like to imagine that he is sat in a locked room in the middle of Alaska or somewhere eagerly awaiting another opponent that will play against him as it is the only game that he possesses; and that by joining and beating his ass (5 rounds to 1) I helped to brighten up his day.

So that is what I have been playing since Friday last week until last night, I still need to finish up Warriors Orochi 3 and grind out the last few bits before the baby gets here. Then there is still Final Fantasy XIII to finish and XIII-2 to start along with a host of other games. Oh and start to play Guardian Heroes since it was one of the main reasons why I bought the 360 in the first place in-between a bit more of Gears 3 campaign and Horde mode. Add to that all the other games that have been downloaded to my PS3 or 360 from the PSN or XBLA and the retail games I seem to purchase just to stack on my shelf means I have quite a bit of gaming to do.

So I guess the race is on to play as much as I can before my already shrinking gaming time diminishes even further with random feeding times, crying and shitty nappies taking over my already hectic household. Still I would take just a few hours of gaming a week and the life I have rather than return to how my life used to be. Lets face it my life is pretty sweet and I am more than happy with the way things are going, Plus I will always have time for gaming as my missus quite enjoys the peace and quiet of me playing something while she watches her soaps. :)

Final Fantasy XIV E3 Trailer

Dear PC owners,

We didn't forget about you.



Love,

Playdit!

Kevin Butler: VP of Epic Presentations

Sony's First Play Sucks So Far

Sony's First Play got released this week as some of you may know, for those that don't know about First Play you can check out the video below to see what it is all about.



Now I know that I shouldn't have really expected much from First Play, but after Sony pushing it quite a bit lately in magazines I really thought it would be better than it is. I am now regretting paying £8.99 for a 3 month subscription for a bunch of videos that you can see on the Internet for free. As for the video reviews, they just seem to be a carbon copy of Game Face`s which are also available for free. The one saving grace for subscribing to this shite could be the DLC, but with this weeks being a different parachute for Rico in Just Cause 2 it could be nothing more than window dressing.

Then throw in the fact that you have to watch an advertisement before you can see whats coming up in the next episode and you have one pissed off gamer. Why should I have to pay for something then end up watching an advert for Sky HD, OK I know its only 99p a week but I am still paying 99p so I don't expect adverts to be forced upon me without the ability to skip them. (Made worse by the fact that I already have Sky HD so I am seeing an advert something I already bloody own)

Hopefully as time goes by we will see better things from this official Sony magazine product, yet I doubt we will unless something changes are made, heck just let me skip the adverts and I will be a bit happier. Hopefully the exclusives and other stuff will appear soon as promised, but until then save your money for something better.