Los Havros

I would like to announce with much fanfare that I have finally fired up my copy of Grand Theft Auto IV and I’m aiming to play right through it.  For me, that is quite an achievement.  The game has just been sitting there, gathering dust for over a year at my current estimate.  Partly I think it’s been due to lack of free time, and otherwise it’s been total apathy towards the game.

Apathy, you say?  Well, yes.  Back on the PS2 the Grand Theft Auto series was genuinely ground breaking and it offered something new.  On the next generation systems, despite great visuals, more detailed environments and gameplay enhancements, I’ve felt it’s been a case of peddling out more of the same.  Besides, during the launch of GTA IV in 2008, I got hooked on Race Driver: GRID anyway, which is a totally awesome racing game.  One in fact, that I need to revisit as all my gamesaves got wiped in the ‘Great PS3 Christmas Tragedy of 2008′ that I’ll continue to mention for a good while yet as it still hurts.

Back to discussing a bit of GTA IV- from what I’ve played so far, it mostly feels exactly the same as previous instalments.  The only thing that got my attention was the explosion of a car bomb, which looked so shocking and real.  A definite improvement from past instalments in the series.  Yet I’ve felt the apathy creep in again.  Although you play as an Eastern European with a conscience, you still end up going on a rampage like in previous games in the series, so I’m skipping through the cut scenes as I just don’t care.  A bonus in doing this is I figure I can go for the ‘Liberty City Minute’ Trophy where I’ve got to complete the main story in less than 30 hours.  Sorted.

Pausing to reflect for a moment: If there has been one downside to playing GTA IV and Prince of Persia, then it has been leaving Lara Croft on her own in some cave somewhere, waiting for me to guide her on her way…

Tags: Grand Theft Auto, Grand Theft Auto IV, Liberty City, Race Driver: GRID

I have waited till I completed the game in full before offering up some final thoughts on Prince of Persia, and I’m glad I did, as I can now visualise the game as a whole and in the right perspective.  I think the easiest way to go about it, is to direct you to GameSpot’s review and take it from there.

Elika

I’ll agree with GameSpot in that Prince of Persia looks and sounds fantastic.  In certain places, it really is spectacular- drawing you in to the universe depicted in the game.  Yet my opinion differs when turning my attention to the level design.  The mechanics of the level design are technically sound in that the environments are visually interesting and quite exhilarating to navigate through.  Yet as I was progressing through Prince of Persia I had a nagging feeling in the back of my mind that yes, this was just a game, and it felt like one too.  In many respects, it’s all down to the level design for me.

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Tags: Assassin's Creed, Elika, Nathan Drake, Nolan North, Prince of Persia, Ubisoft, Uncharted

There’s been a couple of games that I’ve been really excited about for a long time now that are currently on the horizon, and will be with us later this year: Assassin’s Creed 2 and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.  With E3, we’ve all been deluged with plenty of information about both games.  Here’s a round-up of what I’ve been reading and found to be most interesting:

Assassin’s Creed 2

• Assassin’s Creed 2 E3 09 Q&A- PlayStation.Blog.US
• Assassin’s Creed 2 will end with a cliffhanger- Joystiq
• Jesper Kyd returning to compose Assassin’s Creed 2 soundtrack- Joystiq
• Assassin’s Creed 2 unlockables tied to PSP version- Joystiq (Some pretty sweet synergy between the PS3 and PSP: I’ll be keeping my eye on this one)
• Assassin’s Creed 2 launches November 17- Joystiq (This is the all-important date!)

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

• E3 Interview: We Track Down Uncharted 2: Among Thieves- PlayStation.Blog.Europe
  (particularly excellent article)
• Impressions: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and old flings- Joystiq (Provides some interesting commentary and analysis in the last paragraph)
• ‘All Uncharted 2 posts’- Joystiq (Heck, I’ve included this link as Joystiq provides some of the best coverage for Uncharted 2- keep your eyes peeled in future for more articles!)

Tags: Assassin's Creed 2, E3, Jesper Kyd, Joystiq, PlayStation 3, Sony, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Updated 27th June 2009

Want inspiration for what to do initially as a new PS3 owner?  Step right this way… I’ve jotted some points down covering various areas that might be of use, and tips that I’ve found helpful to get up and running quickly, but also to provide the most enjoyment:

• The first switch-on- immediately get connected to the internet either by a wired or wireless connection.  You might need a system update for a start, and it’s pretty much essential for updating your games with the latest patches/improvements.  (See http://ps3explained.com/ if you want clear and detailed guidance.)
• Sign up to the PlayStation Network (it’s free!) and get yourself a PlayStation Network ID, which will give you access to the PlayStation Store, the ability to start collecting Trophies, PlayStation Home and most crucially perhaps, the ability to play against other people online.
• Try a great game- Now is the time to try a great game that will show off what the PS3 is all about: personally, I’d recommend Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, LittleBigPlanet, and Metal Gear Solid 4, to name but a few.  Visuals like you’ve never seen before.  At least rent one of these titles!  If you’d like a wider selection to choose from, and you’re in a bit of a hurry, you can’t go far wrong with No Fuss Reviews.
• Stay in the loop- If you want the inside scoop straight from the horse’s mouth, than you can do no better than paying PlayStation.Blog.US and PlayStation.Blog.Europe a visit.  For regular news, there’s Joystiq and TheSixthAxis.  Or for a more personal take on everything there’s always good old reliable Los Havros.  Ahem.
• Go beyond- The beauty about gaming on the PS3 is that the experience is as deep and rich as you want it to be: sample free demos or purchase extra content on the PlayStation Store, mix and mingle with people in PlayStation Home, go it alone in-game, or go out and play on the PlayStation Network.  For those feeling a bit philanthropic, then do some good with your PS3 and number-crunch protein folding for Folding@Home that is contained within Life With PlayStation.

Tags: Metal Gear Solid 4, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Home, PLAYSTATION Network, PlayStation Store, Sony, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

I was given the wonderful opportunity to try out Bejeweled 2 , which has been ported to the PS3 and has been available on the PlayStation Network for just a couple of weeks now, joining the Xbox 360 version on the Xbox Live Arcade.  What am I doing looking at a relatively small PlayStation Network title?  Well, if you know where to look on the PlayStation Store, you can find a few gems.  Ahem.

The real reason I couldn’t pass on trying this game is that I am a total Bejeweled addict.  I’ve played the flash version on my PC, I’ve got it on my iPod Nano, my iPod touch, and now, the PS3.  This actually gives me a unique perspective from which to look at some finer details in the game.

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Tags: Bejeweled 2, iPhone, IPod Touch, PlayStation 3, PLAYSTATION Network, puzzle, Super Stardust HD, Touchscreen

With recent talk of gaming slumps reverberating across the blogosphere, I read them and can totally relate, having to effectively abstain from any meaningful amount of gaming for the past few months and feeling my self-worth as a gamer shrivel.

So I tried to rack my brains for the antonym of ’slump’ and the best I could come up with, with the help good-old Google, was ‘rise’.  To me this conjures up images of well, rising: a return, upping the ante, stepping up to the plate etc.  I think you get what I’m trying to say!  I trully believe that this summer I will in fact be stepping up to the plate, and seeing what I’m made of, gaming wise.  After an abence of months from the gaming world, my appetitie for gaming has not diminished, but altogether increased, becoming positively insatiable.

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Tags: Fallout 3, games, PlayStation 3, Prince of Persia, rise, slump, tomb raider, tomb raider underworld, Video game

Hola mis amigos, ¿qué tal?  Some say I’ve been to Spain, others say I’ve been away on a long and mysterious journey, looking for the ‘New Sound‘.  In reality, I’ve been doing the relatively mundane task of completing my finals, and thus managing to finish a law degree which I never want to do ever again.

This happily brings me to announcing my return to the world of gaming and blogging.  Truth be told, I feel a bit like Superman after his return from the ruins of Krypton: your woman’s left you for another man, and the world has moved on.  But here I am anyway, at it again.  It may take me a while to settle back into my groove, but I’m sure It’ll be worth it.  All’s that’s left for me to do now is cook up a pretty sweet blog post for your enjoyment.

Regards,

Los “there’s a snake in my boots” Havros

Tags: blogging, break, hiatus, return, schedule