Picking Up The Pad

Well for the last month or so my life has been pretty much in the toilet, which in turn saw me turning my back on quite a few things. Gaming being a pretty major one of them, which kinda sucks ass since I love nothing more than to sit in front of the TV and play for hours. Heck I even let my Xbox Gold subscription run out, that is how bad it has been. While things are still pretty shitty to a certain extent I can't keep sitting around feeling sorry for myself, so it's now once again time to pick up the pad and start playing like I have never played before.

So in the upcoming weeks I should be back to reviewing games on a regular basis for Console Heroes as well as updating my blog. Which I have neglected quite a bit I am sorry to say. Hopefully I can soon get hold of Cody and Code in the next few days, and discuss the future of the Console Heroes Podcast. The main problem we have is that we are not always around at the same time to record the damn thing, which kinda sucks balls to say the least.


I wrote a Gunstar Heroes review yesterday to try and get back into the swing of things, which should see the light of day sometime this week on the site. (Once Bota does his fogoriphic edit to it.) I also finally posted up the UFC review I wrote up last month which can be found here if your interested. It's going to take me a week or two to get back into the swing of things, but hopefully normal service will resume very soon.

Until next time keep gaming. :)

Should I Buy This Game?

Buy This Game It Has Voice overs!!!

I was recently reading a thread on a forum about Little Big Planet, when I stumbled upon one of the dumbest threads I have ever seen. The basic jist of the thread was someone was trying to decide if they should buy the game or not, to which someone had replied with this little gem below.

Stephen Fry does the voice overs so yeah, if your a fan of his you’ll love the game.

How the hell can anyone advise someone to buy a game because a celebrity does the voice overs for it? That is like me advising someone to go and watch the Guyver film starring David Hayter if they are a fan of the Metal Gear Solid games. (It is possibly one of the worst films I have ever seen, it stinks out the place like the Punisher film starring Dolph Lundgren.)

If only they made an equally shit game for Dolph to do the Voice overs!

Did you enjoy watching Vin Diesel in Fast and Furious or Pitch Black? Then you should go and buy The Wheelman as he does the voice overs, so surely you will love this game. Heck I have enjoyed watching Randy Couture fighting in the UFC and commentating, so Red Alert 3 should be awesome as he plays a character in that. To be fair though Red Alert 3 is a fantastic game, not because it has a host of characters but because it's a great game.

I have played Little Big Planet and I have to say that the voice overs don't make the game an enjoyable game. It is down to the sum of all it's parts and work by all the staff that created the game. It just seems retarded to me that someone is trying to advise another person to get a game, if they are a fan of a voice over guy. It is not as if Stephen Fry does a voice over for every little thing you do in the game, for the most part he doesn't even say anything. (Thank fuck as he gets on my tits.)

Little Big Planet: So much more than just voice overs!

Seriously though, this person could have commented on a few of the things that you can do in Little Big Planet. I would say it is an unique but average platform game at heart. That is until you start creating levels, which is where things pick up a bit. Any levels you create can be shared with other gamers around the world. If you don't like creating levels then you can pick other peoples to play on. Take the other day, I stumbled on a level that had been inspired by Fallout, and I have to say it was a pretty cool featuring many things from Fallout, such as radio's to listen to, enemies to shoot and Nuka Cola vending machines. Surely shit like this should get a mention as a reason to buy rather than advising to buy because such a person is a voice over guy for the game.

-------Rant Ends-----

Fun With Ratchet And Clank

So I just bought a Playstation 3 after refusing to buy one for ages. I asked my dad to pick it up for me since he was going in town today and told him which deal he should get me. The deal I asked for was the 80 gig system with Killzone 2 and GTA IV, it worked out you got both these games thrown in with the price of the console. I rang my dad at lunch and he said he had got it me, but instead of getting me the one I wanted he got a better deal. He ended up getting one with Killzone 2, GTA IV, NFS Undercover and Lost, he also decided I needed to get the extended warranty for it. (So I got a game I own already on the 360, a shit game I hate and a warranty I didn't need which is going to cost me more money)


After work I went to town and picked up a few more games for the system, picking up a few titles including Motorstorm and Ratchet and Clank. So I got home unpacked the system and set it up and threw Motorstorm in for a quick race. After that I put Killzone 2 in for a quick go as I checked out how good games on the system looked. Killzone looked pretty cool and is one game I am probably going to play over the weekend when I get chance.

Next up I thought I would try the Ratchet and Clank game.(A game I have wanted to play for quite a while) Upon loading I was greeted with a screen saying I had insufficent space and needed to delete something to make room. I was like WTF? I had 64 gig on my system to play with, regardless I quit and formatted the HDD and tried again only to see the same message. At this point I was getting a bit annoyed, so I rolled back the Killzone 2 update and tried again only to see the same screen.

I thought fuck this and started reading through the manuals for the PS3 and the game, but still had no luck in finding a solution to my problem. I at this point decided to ring the shop the console came from (Game) to ask if they could tell me how to get it working. The guy on the other end of the phone said "It sounds like your PS3 is broken so you should ring Sony or bring it back to the store for an exchange."


I know the system worked otherwise I couldn't play any other games, so I thought fuck that and rang the store again and spoke to someone else, the reply was "It sounds like your game is broken, you need to get it replaced" Again this sounded like bullshit by another person without a clue that shouldn't be working in a game store. At this point I thought fuck it and decided to search on the internet for a solution, and surprise surprise I managed to find one.

It appears that the game won't install on the PS3 if you have less than 470+ MB on the system. It doesn't matter how many Gigs you have. Take mine for example I must have had just over 64.3 gig on it, but because the last part was under the amount needed I couldn't install the game. So I needed to get my system to just under 64 gig to be able to play the game, which is really fucking retarded. I decided to bang some CD's on the system to fill it up, not thinking about how it was going to convert them into the MP3 format to take up less space. (I finally realised 4 CD's and 10 minutes or so later)


Next up I decided to download some random crap off the Playstation Network to fill up the space faster. Just 5 minutes or so later and I had just hit under 64 gig, so I decided to try the game again and it worked straight away. So I had spent about an hour trying to get this game to work and for what? I played the game for about 5 minutes then turned it off as I was so wound up I couldn't enjoy playing it. (I ended up playing the Savage Moon demo I downloaded longer than I played Ratchet & Clank)

So I wasted an hour of my life, rang the game shop and spoke to two retards that know fuck all and then found the solution to the problem thanks to the internet. It got me thinking though, what about all the people that have bought the game only to return it as they couldn't get it to work and had no internet access? Another thing is why do game stores employ some people (Not all) than know absolutely fuck all about games. It's such a shame that a game series I have always enjoyed has pissed me off so much. :(

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.