Metal Gear Rising - PC - So much Addictive Self Violation Never Existed Till Now.

Metal Gear Rising: ReVengeance. So many mind numbing decisions on this game that make it a pain to even think about or properly try to place into categories... My gripes with it are instant, constant, and they are frustrating indeed. So I will jump right into the bashing as I have rarely ever played a title that I waited for patiently for so many years that was as crap as this pile of junk! (Talking about the PC version here as always)

Buttons on the mouse that cannot be mapped, a variety of control options that cannot be controlled or changed, clumsy user interface, console port controls that make blade mode from being the strongest aspect of the game into the most annoying part of it, a grind fest that simply has you doing the same thing again and again... cinematic, voicecom interruption, get to point, kill enemies, rince and repeat with plenty more voicecomes along the way and changing the "get to point" objectives to "press the button" objectives.

Constant checkpoint interruptions, not just the score alone which gives a cool arcade feel to it, but stage limitations as well containing you into certain areas every few steps. The amount of these things is ridiculous, the score screen is so unrewarding as it is annoying, getting in your way to even moving properly disabling half of your controls, and instead of being an arcade like element reminiscent of the 90's, that feels like it pops up each time you achieve something, it becomes practically an overused annoying UI layout as if all the ridiculous voicecoms all over the place weren't enough.

The concept behind the game is so damn awesome, it still has hope for a
sequel to fix all things done wrong... So much gone wrong with such an
awesome concept in hand. They managed the impossible.

Combat itself? Combos work ok and pretty cool, auto aim ruins half of them, as does the still console like movement to it all the likes of "direction input attacking" instead of "mouse look" (even though this is among the most minor of things) yet my biggest gripe is that it all ends up being specific predefined repeatable combat mechanics as opposed to a fluent combat system.

A camera that has gone completely bonkers, the design of it so damn clumsy I felt frustrated the more I played the game. Poor execution of the best parts about the game (Blade Mode), making it ridiculously fun when it works right, ridiculously annoying since it barely ever works and barely ever controlled fluently as it ends up being an entire pile of messy mechanics and controls (fun factor being proof that the game could have been so much more).

Video Games: A Form of Art and Entertainment for the Future

Video Games are a form of Art

Well as the title itself says, Video Games are a form of Art.

"Games" is a title given and used far too lightly nowadays with some still clinging on to the impression that it means "child's' play" and other outdated notions that should have been left in the past by now.

We Gamers are not children with no responsibilities, neither people that have nothing else to do in their lives, neither individuals with no interests other than having fun and playing. Some cling to these notions and try to force gamers to believe that video games are for children and not for grown ups. Naturally they are prompting gamers to grow "out" of them eventually. Such beliefs couldn't be more wrong and couldn't be based on falser assumptions if they tried.

Believe it or not, there are indeed many people that still think like this. An arrogant and pretentious mindset knows no limits after all. Such people try to force their belief systems on others, judging harshly with some pretty ridiculous notions that can even lead to discrimination and cause more harm than good. Instead of understanding that they are of a different mindset and that each person has a right to chose which ideals and qualities they will warm up to in this world, these people that do not agree to gaming in the form it truly is find it fitting to try and make others that do not agree with them change by force and discrimination. Such childish behaviour.

Gamers and what are the defenders of this entire form of entertainment will have you know it is no less a child's game than half if not all the activities in our lives that we all partake in for entertainment. Like going to the cinemas, or playing cards, playing pool, bowling, and so much more. Pretty hypocritical to rule out what one does not understand or like as being childish when all these activities are of the same form.

It is 2014 and the time for such misinformed notions to come to an end is overdue.

To put it simply, Video Gaming is 1st and above all a form of Art and 2nd a form of Entertainment. The two intertwine and become ultimately one.

It's time everyone started to respect it as such, and further respect gaming as much as any and all other forms of entertainment and art out there. The same way films, books, paintings, music and other forms are here to express the inner worlds of creators so that they can be shared with hundreds of others, thousands or even millions, games are here with the same purpose and were established with this idea and need in mind. They simply just take things up a notch by comparison, making the experiences interactive and thus being the only difference with the other forms. At this point it is pointless to argue over the differences and further define each form to a specific target market alone (like that of children) as each form is and should be unique in its own way and is more than capable of being directed to any target market out there and of any age.

Art and entertainment takes any form it needs or requires itself to take, it is free of any boundaries and templates, and that is why it is both an artistic expression as well as entertaining.

X REBIRTH - 1st Impressions Game Review

X-Universe fans have been patiently waiting a long time now for the release to the next chapter of Egosofts' sandbox space simulator. X-Rebirth has been in development for 7 years, and it is now finally here.

The most obvious questions are: Does it deliver? Is it worthy of the X-Universe franchise? And does the new addition cater to the fans as well?

At most, it does. Although a little early on its release, with having an array of bugs experienced in the game from many users, X Rebirth should not disappoint neither the fans of the franchise nor the newcomers. It caters to both depth and functionality, keeps true to the franchise in almost every way, and adds changes that make it easier to pick up as well as easier to enjoy in the long run without ditching that depth of the past. Egosoft have gone into delivering these elements for their new X title in one of the most well-balanced and complete approaches that a single player sandbox space simulator has ever seen till now. (minus the bugs)

JUDGE DREDD vs DREDD and the COMICS

Review, comparison and tribute...

Judge Dredd, starring Sylvester Stallone, 1995 with a budget of 90 million

vs

Dredd, starring Karl Urban, 2012, with a budget of 45 million.

Ok, so I'm going down that path of comparing the two, and why not? I am after all a fan of Judge Dredd since the age of around 10. Perhaps even younger (have to give credit to my brother for introducing me to it at such a small age).
Fandom aside, I loved the reboot of this iconic character (remake as some called it, yet they couldn't be more wrong and obviously haven't seen one of the two if not neither) and I can only do both the character and myself justice by dwelling into the depths of Megacity One's toughest law enforcer.

Subscription based games are a scam!

My "article reply" to an article on F2P games and Subscriptions...

I wrote what seemed or started out as a reply to PCGAMERS article with the title:

Star Wars: The Old Republic’s free-to-play restrictions tweaked, Bioware stress “an ongoing dialogue"

and it quickly escalated to an actual article length piece that I thought I hold on to.

It was mostly in response to those supporting the idea that "if people want the full game they should subscribe" and that they shouldn't complain about the f2p model in SWTOR.

I myself having looked at it (the f2p model) see how flawed it is and, well, it reminds nothing of a proper free 2 play model. I support the idea of subscription games simply not existing at all (take a look at my older article posted here called "Free For All - Challenging Life Itself" to get an idea of my thoughts on this matter generally and how I believe it should work) and so I had my two cents to add to it all.

The amount of tolerance we have as gamers, or even human beings, allows for such things as these (e.g subscription based games) to keep gong on when clearly they should be stopped.

I thought it would be a shame to leave the reply there alone (I would end up forgetting about it myself) and so here it is:

(readers beware, the content is less formal than my usual posts, but I think still worth posting as a cry to gamers to simply STOP with their ignorance on companies taking advantage on them)

....

Hawken - Closed Beta Event Videos

The 2nd video for the HAWKEN closed beta event is up.

Although I seldom tend to make reviews or commentary videos, I took the chance to look into this new free-to-play mech themed first person shooter once having attained a closed beta key for the event during the weekend of 28/10/2012.

In the video I showcase all the maps available in the beta event, the three mech classes, and the four game modes.

I take a thorough look with extensive commentary on most if not all aspects of the game, leading into the last hour of gameplay only (no commentary) with the remaining items, game modes and maps, profile menu coverage, and showcase of the Andromeda map with no other players online (an even more thorough view of the map designs and the graphics without anyone around to fire at me or to aim at whilst I take my time to look at the environments).

I also uploaded a week before this video the first part, made a day before the event began, dwelling into a detailed coverage of the mech customization menu.

Links to the two videos are bellow.

HAWKEN CLOSED BETA Part 02 - Full Gameplay (HD) (Review)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6bBBFdUQaI

HAWKEN CLOSED BETA Part 01 - A Thorough Look at Customisation (HD)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaPXtkAPDfE

Enjoy.