After completing "A Crack In Time" I figured I had best play the prequel "Quest For Booty" as I just hadn't gotten around to playing the game. (Stupid downloadable game that I got (Thanks Code) and forget about then ended up buying the disk based version as well) The game is basically an episodic filler bridging the gap between Tools of Destruction and A Crack In Time, As such you only get to play as Ratchet in this short and brief encounter.
The game sees you (Ratchet) trying to find your sidekick Clank who went missing at the end of "Tools of Destruction" the games storyline really is lack luster at best. The levels are really short if you can even count them as levels, it just feels like the game is something that has been left out from the end of Tools of Destruction.
Ratchet & er..Ratchet at their worst!
There seems to be lots missing that you normally see in a Ratchet & Clank games, No weapon sellers, only one big boss, no Quark and even worse the humour is very thin on the ground (Humour is one of the best things I like about the series.) Saying the game is a bit of a let down may seem unfair but at the same time it is entirely true. If there was a reason that this was left out of "Tools of Destruction" then the reason could be that the "Quest For Booty" just wouldn't fit in with Tools of Destruction's superior level design and tight game play.
Quest For Booty just feels like a shoddy release by a company that normally prides itself on making quality games. If you really feel the need to play every game in the Ratchet & Clank series, then you have no choice but to play "Quest For Booty" if not then I would suggest skipping this game (If you can really call it that) and playing through one of the other games in the series again.
Ratchet and Clank is probably one of Sony's best selling game series with "A Crack In Time" being the ninth game to be released. (5 PS2 games, 2 PSP game and 3 PS3 games, with Size Matters being ported from the PSP to the PS2) Lets face it if you have ever owned a Sony system then you will have at played one of the Ratchet and Clank games at some time or another. Some of you will be glad to know that "A Crack In Time" is yet more of the same great 3D platforming slash shooting action that the series is best known and loved for. (Even better now though as the annoying underwater sections don't make an appearence in the game)
If however you have yet to play a Ratchet & Clank game due to being in a Siberian prison for the last 15 years, surviving on gruel and water for crimes against the state. Then you are in for a treat as not only has the world has changed so much but gaming has moved forward so much since when you were locked away in your cold damp cell. (Games now come on a thing called Disks instead of cartridges, amazing or what) Basically think Mario 64 with big ass and crazy weapons with humour a bit similar to Conker and you will be heading somewhere in the right direction.
EVIL GENIUS RETURNS!!..with butler
The evil (highley amusing) Dr Nefarious and his mechanical butler Lawrence make a welcome return as the bad guys in the game. (I just couldn't warm to Emperor Percival Tachyon as the bad guy in the last two games, he just to entertain when compared to the ultimate bad guy Dr Nefarious) Captain Quark also makes his usual prescence felt through the game again (The classic village idiot/cowardly hero) upon completing the game there is a part after the credits with him that really cracked me up, so just don't wander off when the credits start rolling.
One thing that make the Ratchet and Clank series enjoyable is the imagination that goes into the script and the weapons featured in the game. (All of which can be levelled up to cause even more death and destruction) These really need to be seen in action, with the Rhino V5 being completely mental to say the least.
The Ratchet & Clank series will always have parts that you enjoy more than others, for example I hated the underwater sections in the previous games that don't appear in "A Crack In Time", yet I also still don't enjoy the Clank only sections either that much, sure it does add more of a puzzling element to the game but I am happy with the death and destruction that Ratchet brings. This time however I did enjoy the Clank sections than I have done in previous games as the new puzzles were quite enjoyable to play through, with the ones needing completing for the last few gold bolts being a particular pain in the ass. (In a good way though)
HE REALLY IS A DUMBASS!
Once completing the game you also get given the chance to play through the game again on the harder Challenge Mode. (This gives you the chance to get your hands on even more powerful versions of your weapons, and everything you got in your first playthrough carries over just like in the previous games) The game demands to be played through again on this mode, this is what gaming is all about, not Trophies and Achievements as so many gamers seem preoccupied with nowdays. Gaming should be about fun and enjoyment and Ratchet & Clank is the embodiment of this, seeking little more than to entertain you from start to finish, so much so that you will want to play it again upon completion.
A Crack In Time is another Ratchet & Clank game that does everything right, and so little wrong. If you have never played a Ratchet & Clank game before then this could be the game that makes you want to pick up the previous games in the series, and play through the back story of Ratchet & Clank. (Ratchet & Clank 1-3 on the PS2 are amazing games which are still as playable today as they were upon first release)
This is one fantastic looking game, featuring huge enemies and amazing graphics. At first I was on the fence about importing this game, but I am so glad that I took the chance and decided to spend more money and get it now, rather than waiting another god knows how many months for it to arrive in the UK. Sure I have died on the game about a gazillion times but for every time I have died it has been my own fault. The only person to blame is me and my own stupidity for trying to rush ahead only to be flame grilled by a dragon resulting in me normally saying "For fucks sake" or "This is bullshit!" Yet I still return to the game for yet more deaths as I plod on with the game.
Borderlands
Not many games as of late have made me want to just keep playing and pushing forward just to get that little bit further in the game. I was really looking forward to Modern Warfare 2, and while I have spent a fair bit of time with it I just haven't really been drawn into the game as much as I thought I would have. Heck I have felt that way about quite a lot of games as of late, with only a few titles really managing to hold my interest for more than 20 minutes. Those ones have been Red Alert 3: Commanders Challenge, Astro Tripper, Borderlands and current favourite Demon's Souls.
Final Fantasy XIII
I did start to think that I had started to fall out of love with gaming as I struggled to find a reason to pick up the pad and play. Long gone are the days where I would get in from work at 2.30 in the afternoon and proceed to play games until I went to sleep. Gaming should be about fun and enjoyment, I just have to remember to make sure that I enjoy other things as well. At this moment in time I am enjoying a healthy balance of gaming and other things in my life. I guess I will always love gaming as long as there is something that I want to play, with games like The White Knight Chronicles, Final Fantasy XIII, God of War 3, Dante's Inferno and many more on the way I should be happy for quite a while.
There are a lot of people saying that Demon's Souls is a hard game, well I have to say damn right it's hard. The bastard thing is a pain in the ass to play, but in a good way. Demon's Souls is kinda like a throw back to games of old as it punishes you for not learning how the game works. Take the enemies early on in the game for example, these bastards all attack in different ways and have there own strengths, weaknesses as well as patterns of attack. One of the Knights you meet pretty early on in the game he is extremely vulnerable just after he has tried attacking you, this seems really simple but until you actually sit back and think why the hell is this cunt killing me all the time as you try going toe to toe with him, that you actually realise where you have been going wrong. The game punishes ignorance and impatience, every enemy in the game can kill you given you half the chance.
Demon's Souls is an intelligent hack and slash RPG, yet it is so much more than you first see on the surface. This is a game I can see myself getting equally pissed off with and also enjoy playing. I can see a lot of people getting this game and putting it in their PS3 only to take it out 5 minutes later and throw it to one side.There is one thing every high scoring review of this game says and that is stick with it and you won't be sorry. Let's face it you will either hate the games difficulty and give up or stick with the game and try to complete what is being called the hardest RPG made to date, either way this is one game you should at leat try.
Well I decided to make a list of my PS3 games for some unknown reason in excel, while doing this my girlfriend repeatedly told me I was a bit mental and should get treatment for my OCD. Maybe I do have OCD to a certain extent my behavioural patterns do seem to support the theory, with me doing stuff like turning the light switch on and off four times in my old room at my dads before leaving the house. Then there is the need to arrange games and cd's into alphabetical order.
If I do have OCD though then at least I am putting it to good use making pretty little lists of things like my PS3 collection and other stuff. lol
.....According to your girlfriend that is! My girlfriend doesn't share the same passion for video games as me, don't get me wrong she does play games such as More Brain Training on the DS, random crappy Facebook games like Christmas Crunch and Bricks Breaking. My favourite game that she plays has to be guess what you have done wrong to piss me off this time. This is also one game I can also join in on as I try to guess what the hell I have done this time; this can range from not picking up socks, using 4 pans and 8 plates to make myself a sandwich, saying I will do something in a minute then not doing it for hours or as she sees it wasting money on video games when I already have so many.
You can try explaining to your girlfriend that not all games are the same, only you will occasionally hit the stumbling block when you end up getting a sequel to a game that looks exactly the same as the previous incarnation when seen through a girlfriends eyes. (Ratchet & Clank, Command & Conquer, Skate and the yearly sports updates spring to mind) OK she has a point with the yearly sport title updates to a degree, But how can the last Ratchet & Clank game look like the new one? It has different weapons in it and er.... OK yeah that looks the same to a certain extent. Still if I like the series and want the latest game in the series I will buy it as would any other gamer.
Huge Monsters!! Hell Yeah
The other day I bought Overlord II and Fuel as they were in a sale so only cost me around £15, really they cost me an extra £10 as I felt guilty about buying them, so I ended up giving my girlfriend £10 for petrol/gas for her car. (A car I should really be paying petrol towards since she drops me off at work and then picks me up in when I have finished) Am I really doing anything wrong though buying these games? The way I think about it is this is my hobby and I really don't spend as much on games as I could do, plus I have something to show for it afterwards. (Not just Trophies and Achievements but an actual physical object) Mind you the same can be said about many women and there obscene amounts of shoes, I guess games are the male equivalent of that.
Worth getting in trouble with the girlfriend for??
I don't think that she really minds me buying games though, If Nessa did she would be the first one to tell me in her own unique way of slamming her fist against my head and yelling (Only joking) She does however begrudge me buying them when we need some non-essential purchase like food or something. So just how do I tell her that I have just ordered Demon's Souls with the art book and cd for £50 from ebay?
That's an easy one, I am not going to tell her to save on getting in trouble. The only way she will find out is if she catches me sneaking it into the house after getting it sent to my dads house instead of ours. (Or reads this blog entry) That is unless my dad gives Nessa the games you are getting delivered to his house (Just like with Overlord II and Fuel) to give to you when you finish work. (Thanks dad) Hopefully it will be here by Monday as I can't wait to get my grubby mitts on it.
Now as some of you may know I write (when I have time, which lately I have had none) reviews for Console Heroes. Well I decided to review The Beatles Rockband after receiving it through the post, however my review was deemed unsuitable because I dislike The Beatles. My point is reviewers don't always get to play and review games that they like, if that was the case then there would be no point in reviewing anything as everything would get a great score, while the people that pay for the game end up getting pissed off that they bought or rented a game they won't like. So anyway on with what I consider a fair review for a game I am not a fan off. (6/10 is still a very good score though, its better than average after all)
The Beatles are one of the best selling artists of all time with a string of hits and a extensive back catalogue. So they seem like a perfect band to receive their own edition of Rockband. A fact that is seemingly backed up by the sales figures of the game and the rate that their Cd's are still selling at today.
It's Rockband with shit music
There is one problem with the Rockband series of games which I am sure you will agree with me about, and that is if you don't like the song that you are playing you won't enjoy it. This kinda leaves a problem with me and The Beatles, you see I am one of those people that dislike the band with a passion. Sure I can admit that they have had a major influence and deserve their place in music history, but I just don't like them.
I know what your thinking, there must be some Beatles songs that I like and there is probably only one song that I don't mind and that is "A Day In The Life" (A song that isn't actually included on the disc but will be released as DLC) So as you would expect the game pretty much sucked for me. Yes I even hated playing "Yellow Submarine", "Lucy In The Sky" and "Here Comes The Sun"
Fab Four? Doesn't look like R.A.T.M. to me
The games spans all of the career with most of the hits of The Beatles included in the game. The characters all look as you would expect them to look through out the various stages of their career and blah blah blah. Lets face it you know what Rockband is already and know what to expect from a game with the Rockband name in the title, and if you don't you have either been in outer space for the last few years or you have had your head stuck up your ass. There are also more Beatles tracks on the way for the game from now until the end of the year as DLC as EA and Harmonix try to squeeze every penny from your wallets.
So should you buy The Beatles Rockband? Well you need to ask yourself 2 questions, "Do you like the Beatles?" and"Do you want to play there songs in Rockband?" If the answer to both those questions is yes then this game is ideal for you, if like me however the answer is no to one of them, then avoid like the plague as you probably won't enjoy the game.
Audio – 2 Visuals – 8 Game play – 8 Lifespan – 5 Presentation – 8 Overall – 6
After completing "A Crack In Time" I figured I had best play the prequel "Quest For Booty" as I just hadn't gotten around to playing the game. (Stupid downloadable game that I got (Thanks Code) and forget about then ended up buying the disk based version as well) The game is basically an episodic filler bridging the gap between Tools of Destruction and A Crack In Time, As such you only get to play as Ratchet in this short and brief encounter.
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