Initial Impressions: Marvel Vs Capcom 3

Fans of the Marvel Vs Capcom series have been crying out for a new edition for years, especially since Marvel Vs Capcom 2 saw a release on the PSNetwork and Xbox Live in 2009. Although upon release on the game started to feel old after a few rounds. So just how well could a third game do in the current gaming climate, could it be like the case of Street Fighter 4 where Capcom dragged the series into something that didn't feel dated and once again fun to play.

This screen shot doesn't do the game justice at all :(

Well all I can say is a resounding "Hell Yeah!" Marvel Vs Capcom 3 feels fresh and dragged the old and tired gameplay of the previous games and bitch slapped them into submission. Marvel Vs Capcom 3 (who for the rest of this piece will be referred to as MvC3) feels fresh and is quite unlike any other fighting game around at the moment. (Not really hard since there aren't to many fighting games being made these days) The new additions to the roster for the most part are a great addition, especially Chris Redfield, Dante and X-23 who really seem to shine through. (Which is surprising as I thought Chris would be one of the worst characters to play as in the game)

Galactus is such a happy chap

That doesn't mean to say that all the new additions are good though, I really don't like the way Wesker, Dormammu and Task Master play in the game. (Especially the Task Master who just seems like he isn't worth using at all) Which is a shame as if they had been given the same treatment as Chris Redfield's character they would have been welcome additions. As you would expect the game does have some issues with the balance of the characters, but this isn't really a major issue and shouldn't take away to much from your experience with the game. Graphically the game looks fantastic and is a joy to watch as well as play (You will notice a lot of little things in the background by watching that you don't see when playing)

The endings look like they are straight out of a comic book

Capcom have really done a fantastic job with MvC3 and created an amazing reboot of the series, at the moment while writing this I am watching my brother in law play the game against my nephew which is truly how all fighting games should be played. You can't beat playing games against an opponent in the same room. (How else can you look at their face after you just beat there ass and call them a loser) MvC3 is a great game that you really should experience if only to see the advancements that have been made and gaze upon its great looking graphics. If I had to rate the game Marvel Vs Capcom 3 deserves a solid 8 out of 10. So what you waiting for? You should be playing the game by now before Deadpool comes round and whoops your ass for not owning it already!

Games You May Have Missed: Magical Hat no Buttobi Turbo! Daibouken

Magical Hat no Buttobi Turbo! Daibouken or Magical Hat Flying Turbo Adventure to give it it's translated name, is a Mega-Drive game based on a Japanese Anime series in the 90`s. I bought the game along with with quite a few other Japanese games and console from my local video rental store after seeing them on sale. (Mainly due to the fact that a Japanese console and 5 Japanese games cost the same as a Pal console)



Magical Hat (As I am going to refer to the game from now on) is the spiritual successor to the Master System game Psycho Fox, only instead of using Sega's own character they used a popular character from a Japanese Anime. The basic story behind the game was some evil dude had split the island into 6-7 pieces and your job was something like defeating him and bringing the island back together.

You were aided in your quest by a little egg that you would throw at enemies, who upon throwing would return to you about a 2 seconds later. (Sound's like something the RSPCA would be all over these days, although technically the egg hadn't hatched yet so it could be classed as pre-animal cruelty) That wasn't all there was to the game though as you were armed with some awesome MC Hammer pants! These enabled you to glide through the air rather than just falling to your death. When mixed with the bouncy poles that featured in the game these came a real delight as you glided through most of the level tapping your jump button. You also had various items to help you through the levels such as invincibility and other such things. (These were all accessed by the start button)

The enemies in the game were pretty good looking especially the bosses who were pretty well thought out. This is one of the true great games of the 90's and always brings a smile to my face when I think about it, that is until I remember that SEGA decided to re-release the game with some changes and tweaks robbing it of it's soul. The re-release is Decap Attack (or as I call it Decrap Attack) sure Magical Hat was in a language that I couldn't understand but it wasn't a shit blatant rip off of a game released just a few months before. Magical Hat is one of the most enjoyable games on the Mega-Drive and is still worth checking out today if you can find it, just avoid Decrap Attack.

Initial Impressions: Test Drive Unlimited 2

If there is one thing I don't like in a driving game it is having to use the brakes and slow down before taking a corner. Personally I am not a big fan of driving correctly in games, you know the idiots that always used to crash in to everyone on the corners on PGR/Forza or any other games? Well that's me. I don't know what it is but I do tend to get bored a bit easily on certain driving games due to the simulation aspects. Normally I would say "Give me Burnout or give me death!" but then again sometimes it's fun to play something different.

With that being said though I thought screw it and decided to give Test Drive Unlimited 2 a quick spin. (Pun intended) I have to say I quite enjoyed the 5 or so hours I have played of the game so far. Don't get me wrong some bits of the game are boring as hell, like having to drive miles away to a place you haven't been to yet in the game. Once you have visited one part of the map though you can instantly transport to it by selecting to warp from the map menu.

The initial impression I have is that Test Drive Unlimited 2 is a really good game and really does provide a nice change of pace to other racing games out at the moment. (although the story line seems a bit gay and is complete bullshit) If your a fan of driving games then this could be worth checking out, this game not only adds things that weren't in the original (like off road racing) but also improves on the original game with little tweaks here and there that make the game a lot more enjoyable.

Maybe my opinion will change as I plunge further into the world that Eden Games have created for gamers to drive around, but for now I have to say Test Drive Unlimited 2 gives a quite enjoyable experience as a racing game. (Although I still bloody hate using my brakes!! lol)

Playing With Conviction (Splinter Cell That Is!)

What you are missing out on by not checking out Playd-it.com


It was one of those rare occassions the other day where I finally got to sit down in front of the TV and switch on a console and play a game. Looking through some of the games I had bought but not got around to playing (The number is quite shocking and I need to do something fast to remedy the situation before it get's worse) So anyway, I decided to give Splinter Cell: Conviction a go, a game I really am unsure about why I bought it since I have never been a big fan of the Splinter Cell series. I must be near the end of the game now as in the game the shit has now really hit the fan.

Oh Shit I forgot what I had to do, If only I had a clue :(

From the time I have spent playing the game over the last 2 evenings I have determined a few key points about the game.

1. Your missus will start talking the moment a cut-scene is taking place.
2. You can't pause the cut-scene that your missus is currently ruining with some bullshit story about something you don't care about.
3. You end up annoyed that your missus is doing her best to try and ruin the experience for you, and will end up plotting your revenge for when she is watching something on TV she really wants to watch, and devise a plan to keep talking through the whole of the programme.
4. Splinter Cell: Conviction is really quite a good game overall, but it does have it's faults.

Sam gave his friend an owie :(

If you have ever played an earlier game in the Splinter Cell series and didn't really take to them as you were to busy comparing it to Metal Gear Solid then give Conviction a try. This takes the stealth type of gaming of old and gives it enough tweaks to drag the genre into the modern day, as opposed to the same style of gaming that we had back in 1998 with Metal Gear Solid. (Shit! was it that long ago it came out? I feel old now)

I have to say that I am really enjoying playing Conviction at the moment and although I have nearly finished the main story, I can actually see myself replaying the game on the hardest setting once I am done to see how my sneaking skills have improved since I first started the game. (They can't be any worse than my first 10-20 minutes with the game) So if you fancy a change of pace from C.O.D. or whatever other game you are playing you can't go that wrong with a quick run through of Conviction.

Playing With Conviction (Splinter Cell That Is!)

It was one of those rare occassions the other day where I finally got to sit down in front of the TV and switch on a console and play a game. Looking through some of the games I had bought but not got around to playing (The number is quite shocking and I need to do something fast to remedy the situation before it get's worse) So anyway, I decided to give Splinter Cell: Conviction a go, a game I really am unsure about why I bought it since I have never been a big fan of the Splinter Cell series. I must be near the end of the game now as in the game the shit has now really hit the fan.

Oh Shit I forgot what I had to do, If only I had a clue :(

From the time I have spent playing the game over the last 2 evenings I have determined a few key points about the game.

1. Your missus will start talking the moment a cut-scene is taking place.
2. You can't pause the cut-scene that your missus is currently ruining with some bullshit story about something you don't care about.
3. You end up annoyed that your missus is doing her best to try and ruin the experience for you, and will end up plotting your revenge for when she is watching something on TV she really wants to watch, and devise a plan to keep talking through the whole of the programme.
4. Splinter Cell: Conviction is really quite a good game overall, but it does have it's faults.

Sam gave his friend an owie :(

If you have ever played an earlier game in the Splinter Cell series and didn't really take to them as you were to busy comparing it to Metal Gear Solid then give Conviction a try. This takes the stealth type of gaming of old and gives it enough tweaks to drag the genre into the modern day, as opposed to the same style of gaming that we had back in 1998 with Metal Gear Solid. (Shit! was it that long ago it came out? I feel old now)

I have to say that I am really enjoying playing Conviction at the moment and although I have nearly finished the main story, I can actually see myself replaying the game on the hardest setting once I am done to see how my sneaking skills have improved since I first started the game. (They can't be any worse than my first 10-20 minutes with the game) So if you fancy a change of pace from C.O.D. or whatever other game you are playing you can't go that wrong with a quick run through of Conviction.

Great Games To Play At Work

Well we all get to the point in our working day where we think I am bored shitless and can't be arsed doing anything for a bit. Well worry not as there are numerous flash games out there that can keep you entertained while the boss is out of the office. Listed below are a few of my favourites that are worth checking out, click the title to be taken to the games themselves.

Fragger

Fragger is a bit similar to worms only with stationary targets that don't fight back. The gameplay is very simple, but this is where it becomes a great game to play while the boss is sat in the same office. Due to the game being slow paced and played with just a mouse, your boss won't think you are up to anything other than just doing your work.

Result: Perfect for those Monday morning blues and a great alternative to dealing with invoices.

Gravity Guy

Gravity Guy is played with just one button on your mouse and the space bar. Gameplay wise it is pretty simple, avoid falling to your death by switching Gravity. Really you need to try it to see it's true charm. This one you have to be a bit more careful with as your boss will be able to tell you are not doing what you are supposed to be doing due to your actions while playing the game.

Result: Great game, much better than dealing with emails that result in more work, just watch out for your boss.

Final Ninja Zero

Final Ninja Zero is kinda like most action games, your a ninja and you run through the levels throwing shurikens at the enemies. To be honest I haven't really spent much time with the game as I would like to, but that will change when my boss next goes to some boring meeting and I am all alone in the office. Failing that there is always lunch times.

Rating: Don't play while your boss is about, wait until they have gone to a meeting or finished work early.

Zoikz

Zoikz is one of these Tower Defence games, while maybe not the best one available it is still offers a pretty good gaming experience. This is another game you can play while the boss is about, although make sure you have a tab open at the bottom of your computer so you can switch between work and the game just in case.

Result: Slow gameplay and not a lot of attention needed to play the game make this an ideal game while dealing with spreadsheets.

Halo Reach Killed My 360

Well I thought I had better start posting again to get back into the swing of things since I have now moved house. (Although I can only update from other peoples houses as I am still waiting for bloody internet sorting out Grrr!) So any way back onto topic, after getting told to play Halo Reach repeatedly by my mate I decided to give in and pinch his copy and play the game. (Seemed easier than kicking his head in, plus I bruise easily)

So there I was playing the latest Halo game and I have to say that the game wasn't as bad as I first thought it would be. All though that could be down to the vast amounts of alcohol I had induced. So any way so far into the game you fall to the planets surface damaging your suit. It was at this point upon landing that I had to turn the night vision on in the game so that I could actually see anything, as without this being on everything was very hard to see. (Although even with the night vision turned on it was hard to see as everything seemed really glitchy) It was at this point I turned to Mrs Flea and said how cool a feature it was that the fall to earth actually damaged your suit and visor to such a degree that you couldn't see anything after the fall.

Using a gun and jetpack at the same time? Gay!!

Around one hour later I was getting pretty pissed off with the lack of vision in the game, which resulted in more than one or two deaths of my character. When I paused the game the text you get when paused looked perfect, so I thought it must still be part of the game. With this knowledge I soldiered on for around 30 minutes more until I had enough and quit to the main menu. The main menu was the same no glitches at all except for in the background which I put down to the point I was currently at in the game. It was at this point I thought fuck it and quit to the dashboard, once again the dash looked perfect with no signs of anything being wrong. So I turned the 360 off and went off to do some other things.

Around 2 hours later my brother in law turned up to have a look at Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare. (He wanted to test it before going to buy it from the store the cheap bastard) Only upon trying to put the game on my 360 decided to give me the finger and flash the ring of death at me. So basically Halo killed my 360, I wouldn't mind but it wasn't all that great a game anyway.