Just don't get shot...

Unit 13 - I love it. It's a third person shooter for the PSVita and it is awesome, for lack of a better word.

There isn't really a storyline for this game. You're a member of a counter-terrorism force, infiltrating and taking over enemy bases and sometimes collecting important objects along they way. Each mission varies in its level of difficulty, and you can only play the next mission once you've completed the one before it. They're not stupidly long either, it's just incredibly fun, and tense, but still enjoyable. It tests your mind when it comes to things like stealth and attempting to find the best route to your destination, which is something I like in shooter games. Being a bit of a bruiser when it comes to war games, playing the missions that don't allow me to be anything but stealthy were a challenge - and a good one at that.

Gameplay is great. Unit 13 really makes you use all the controls, whether it's in an attempt to seek cover from the enemy or to zoom in for the perfect head shot. I have to say, the sniper abilities on this game are great - it allows for an incredibly accurate shot. There's a lot of freedom to move around in this game, you don't need to follow the guiding arrow at the top of the screen to find the best and most efficient way around the game. The graphics are fantastic, especially for a handheld console. The movement of characters is fluid, there's no lag which is something I was pleased to see.

The training grounds at the beginning of the game are incredibly useful as they teach you how to use the controls, change weaponry and target things quickly and accurately. The controls are mapped out really well, with the dual sticks being used to set up a close range and move around. The shoulder buttons are used to zoom in on aim and fire round after round of bullets. Grenades are easy to access, and if you don't want to use the various buttons for these things then you always have the option to use the touchscreen instead, especially when it comes to things like disarming mines.

For each mission you're able to select a soldier that you think would be best for completing it in fast and efficient time. The game will tell you which soldier is recommends, but you don't have to go for that one, you can make your own judgment. Every soldier is from a different part of the world and has their own speciality. There are different forms of missions as well. Covert missions require stealth and for you not to be caught by alarms or the terrorists you're attempting to sneak around. Others will require you to go right in and blow things up, collect items and shoot anyone that dares cross your path.

People say that this game can't beat CoD, but I don't know how far I agree with this statement. When CoD arrives on Vita we shall see, but until then I would urge all you shooter fans to run down to your local video game store and demand a copy. It's well worth it.

A Riddle, Wrapped in a Mystery, Inside an Enigma

For the past 5 years blizzard have been gently teasing the gaming world, but since last year we have a bit more definitive proof.

I shall explain.

PROJECT TITAN.

In 2007 we saw the arise of internet speculation on a Blizzard Internet Forum started that a game was in development after the company has advertised for 'character and environment artists' to work on a 'Next-Gen MMORPG' that was 'Top secret'. This was later confirmed that the advert was not posted for World of Warcraft expansion pack. Which as you can imagine added wind to the flames. but it had promised to be something fresh and new for Blizzard devotee's to dig into.

2010 Gave us more information on what had seemed a forgotten rumor at the time, when in that November blizzard gave us the low down that the project, now named 'Titan', was going to be a release ready for the fourth quarter of 2013. Frank Pearce (co-founder)said Titan was 'our next-gen MMO, and we've only started talking about it in a limited fashion because we want to leverage the fact that we're working on something like that for the purpose of recruiting--getting some of the best talent in the industry on that'

The excitement increases.

Then 2011, Blizzard reveals that they were using lessons learned from years of World of Warcraft, and pulling some of the most experienced MMORPG developers working on the project. Significance was put on Titan being a game which was to be played with people they know as appose to strangers. towards the end of the year it was said there was 90 developers working on the project, it nearly being ready to enter full production mode.

There's one detail that has not been confirmed by Blizzard but strongly rumored. Titan is supposed to be a free game with no subscription required, something new and fresh from Blizzard.

To read up slightly more on a few details I may have skipped check out http://geek.pikimal.com/2012/02/23/blizzards-project-titan-possibly-free-to-play-according-to-rumor

"I'm Batman"

I finally got Arkham City for PS3. I'd been meaning to pick it up for some time, and this week I decided to just do it and stop procrastinating. I'm so glad I did.

I haven't finished the game yet, but I already know that this game is one of the best I have ever played. Being a bit of a comic book nut, I was expecting to enjoy Arkham City anyway, but my mind was blown by the sheer awesomeness of this game. From the second the start screen appeared and the music began to play, I prepared myself to enter a game unlike any other.

You are Bruce Wayne, a.k.a Batman. Set after the events of Arkham Asylum, you are opposed to Arkham City you hold a press conference to express your anger. However, during this press conference you are attacked and kidnapped by Hugo Strange's men from his group TYGER. You wake up in a dark room with a TV that is showing Dr. Strange listing the rules of Arkham city - you have to escape. I can tell you that after listening to Strange list the rules over 15 times it starts to drive you a little crazy yourself - I had some trouble escaping. After moving the L stick left and right for what seems like an eternity, you'll eventually fall over, alerting the guard outside. You're prompted to counter attack him, and do so before being captured again.

As you're led through the prison, the other guards and inmates will refer to you by your nickname 'rich boy' and throw other insults at you such as 'you're my bitch, Wayne'- you'll take the intimidation and the insults, 'cause you're Batman and nothing can get you down. Eventually, you're given the opportunity to beat up the guards that had been guiding you to a different part of the prison before climbing up the walls and escaping onto the roof of the prison, Dr. Strange yelling at you from below. After giving Alfred a quick call, he drops a package on top of a nearby building that contains your suit. Time to suit up and get to work. The thing is, the whole of Arkham city is crawling with criminals, it's an open-air prison and the inmates are allowed to roam free as long as they do not attempt to escape. It makes moving around ten times more difficult. The first thing you do when you escape the prison building is go in search of Catwoman - she might have information you need.

You find her in an old museum, tied up and dangling over what looks like a pool of acid. She has been captured by none other than Two-Face (who have never ceased to make me shiver when I see him)who is trying her in his own court for stealing. Catwoman, being her usual self, tries to flirt her way out of it. It's you who has to save her. After battling with Two-Face and his goons, Catwoman exchanges places with her captor and she's free. Sadly, it seems she doesn't know too much, and after the Joker attempts to assassinate her you decide that he's the one to track down and find. Leaving Catwoman, you encounter Harley Quinn next who runs off leaving you with her thugs. You dispose of them, but all the criminals think you're dead - good cover for you. It's then that you pick up the Joker's radio signal and start to follow is across Arkham City to the Sionis Steelworks. After entering the steelworks you start tracking down the Joker, knocking some thugs out on the way. Turns out that the Joker is dying, and the doctor they borrowed to try and cure him has failed in making him any better. As a result they plan to torture and no doubt kill her, so you go and save her - classic superhero stuff. You learn from the doctor that the Joker is dying from toxins on his blood caused by TITAN - an unstable steroid that turns men into monsters. The Joker has basically overdosed himself and there's no way to save him. With this useful information tucked away safely in your mind, you continue to track the Joker down.

That's as far as I've got, took a few hours, but I'm a leisurely gamer. I'll tell you all how I do in the rest of Arkham City as I play.

Let's take a look at how good gameplay, control and storyline are.

Gameplay:

It's a tactical game that involves being stealthy and secretive - something I'm not particularly good at. The Dark Knight has always been known for his ability to camouflage himself in darkness and his epic gadgets - a lot of which are in this game. Unfortunately, I don't have any of these gadgets, when I levelled up I chose more durable armour. should have gone with the gadgets. The only gadgets I currently have are my little throwing weapons, such as the Batrarang, and my grappling hook (which has come in handy numerous times).
There's a lot of useful technology - such as the radio and criminal tracker as well as the detective mode which is used to find evidence and potentially dangerous traps.

When it comes to battle it tends to be a 'beat-em-up' game that involves a lot of hand-to-hand combat. Traditionally, the Bat has never carried firearms and has always relied on his skill as a martial artist. The only problem is that he's pretty weak against guns and other firearms, resulting in a near instant death.

Robin and Catwoman are also playable characters - but you need to either buy and download them from the online store as DLC (e.g. PSN) or buy a copy of the game that includes them. I was supposed to buy the Robin version but ended up with Catwoman.

Controls:

It's all pretty easy to get the hang of. Fighting controls use the typical, Circle, Triangle, Square movements with X serving as the control for running. Combos include pressing two or more of the right hand control pad buttons, sometimes using the L and R buttons located on the back of the controller. All the necessary controls and combinations are quickly accessible which prevents you from stalling and losing HP as a result. The game will also prompt you to use certain controls during battle, so if you forget you've always got the game to lend you a hand.

Storyline:

I am guilty of having never played Arkham Asylum before. It's a game I really need to pick up at some point. Because if this, some say I may not be able to fully appreciate the storyline of Arkhamn City, but I think they're wrong. I was intrigued by the story from the first line spoken. I have found it gripping throughout and there hasn't been one moment so far that hasn't excited me. I am looking forward to my next Batman Arkham City session.

That's what I think of the game so far. For those of you who may have already played, what did you think of the game? Was it better than Arkham Asylum or were you disappointed?

Valhalla

Marvel Heroes

I was going to treat you all to another Skyrim update, but I had to postpone it when I received the latest news on what was formerly known as Marvel Universe Online (MUO). Marvel has to be my favourite in the comic book world, with DC following a close second, and so finding out about these comic book MMORPG's was incredibly exciting. I was left feeling a little disappointed after DCUO, but I'm willing to blame that on the poor quality of my last TV's screen instead of the game - downloading patch notes now to test the game out again. So, I'm expecting good things from Marvel Heroes - I don't want it to be a let down.

The game has no set release date (although I'm keeping my fingers crossed for this year)and it will be released on PC only from what we've been told so far - which I'm pleased with. It will be a free-to-play browser-based game, which is especially nice for those of us who really cannot afford another online subscription, and it will feature the awesome-ness that is Dr. Doom as the main villain. Sounds pretty good so far.

Playable superheroes:

- Iron Man
- Ms. Marvel
- Human Torch
- Storm
- Cyclops
- Hulk
- Spider-man
- Thor
- Wolverine
- Captain America
- Thing
- Squirrel Girl
- Nova
- Cable
- Deadpool

Personally, I'm hoping that this list is going to grow, because there are certain heroes I want to see as playable characters such as Hawkeye, Ant-man, Black Panther...the list goes on.

The question you may be asking is 'how is this going to work', the answer being, we're not entirely sure yet. From what I've been told it will be similar to Marvel Superhero Squad Online (MSSO) - a game I had never played because it's for kids. However, as this one is aimed at an older audience I decided to make an account and play around on the kids version so that I could tell you more about the gameplay to give us all a clearer idea of what the game will be like.

I registered for MSSO under the name Hawkeye12345 (pretty unimaginative, I know) and got to work on testing out the controls. I think my Squad name is Chaotic Punisher as I just went for a random one. Then, the process of waiting for it to load on my browser began. As it's a browser based game, I figured I'd just use my writing laptop rather than pull out my gaming one...it takes a lot longer to load on a low powered laptop.

My first thought when the game was starting up was "I really hope the characters don't look like this in the new game" as the art was incredibly childish - which is good for children, but will hopefully be different in the new game. One thing I was pleased to see was some of the lesser known early Avengers were present on the loading screen. It died on my little laptop before the game could even start so I had to switch to the gaming one - a bit of a pain to be honest.

Re-starting the game, I was taken through the basic controls. If Marvel Heroes is going to work in the same way as MSSO then moving your character across the screen is very simple - simply hold down the left mouse button and slide the mouse in the way you want your character to move. It's a very easy way to move and is something different from the usual WASD or arrow key movement. As with most games, the spacebar is used to jump. To enter buildings or kill things you simply left-click, again making the controls easy to use. Whether or not they'll change this for the older version I'm unsure.

The thing that might make you wonder is the list of available heroes. It's not like DCUO where your character merely has powers that are similar to the chosen hero, no, it would appear that you are collecting heroes. If Marvel Heroes is anything like MSSO then you will be collecting heroes for your team so you can build the most powerful squad. That squad will work to complete missions which will earn you gold, silver or tickets. Gold can be used to purchase more heroes, silver for equipment and tickets on the spinning wheel on which you can win gold, silver or items. It's a fun and simple system. Taking the gameplay and controls in mind, it looks like Marvel's new browser-based game will be simple when it comes to playing allowing for relaxed gameplay. Whether or not they plan to complicate the controls, we don't know yet. However, I reckon it's going to be some light hearted fun. What do you think? Will Marvel Heroes be the next best free browser game or is it going to flop?

Valhalla

I Like to Move it Move it... Like a Jedi?

  Today marks an important day in the development of a Galaxy Far Far Away. For today is not only the 94th day of the year (don't say we never teach you anything) but it is also the day that Kinect Star Wars is released, something I feel many people will have been waiting for, for many years.

  The idea of being able to Use The Force whilst wielding a lightsaber excites the inner child in me, and indeed my adult ultimate fantasy. (On another note my dedication to the Star Wars world is show by the fact that 'lightsaber' isn't even corrected by spell check any more...)

  The most common case with Kinect games is that they are made up of several different 'mini-game' modes, but this one seems to have a sightly bigger campaign mode to work towards. The research I have done on trials of the game seem to indicate that the kinetic technology ultimately slightly lets down the whole ambiance of the game, but it is important to remember that while your fingers on a controller only have a few centimeters to move in a second on a controller it takes a full arm a few more seconds to conduct the movement required. 

  It seems generally speaking that the game has been a success although it has features which may aggravate the inpatient, it seems to have redeemed itself with its racing mini games. Ahh yes dear reader, for they have not only allowed us to fight like a Jedi, but also to acquire the perks of one, I'm talking pod racing, droid control, and a choice of ship. The game also has an option to join forces with friends in a co-op or duel mode, ensuring that friends can easily jump in and out of the action. 

  In all, there is much to be excited about over this game, but the platform its designed for is just not doing it justice, but there is one thing we can be certain of, this game has been predicted to be a success, and for good reason, there's is a lot that will appeal to any faithful member of the Republic (or indeed the Sith). I mean who wouldn't want to work out like Obi Wan Kenobi?

Valhalla's Adventures in Skyrim Continue

It's been a little while since I told you all how my adventures in Skyrim were going. The truth is, I haven't had much time to play it  - which is quite sad. So, today I thought I'd spend a couple of hours playing so that I could tell you all how things were going. Since my last update a lot has happened. I took a carriage to Riften, bought a new horse and killed another dragon. I fought some undead - which I will never do again 'cause they make me jump - and I paraded around shouting at people (mainly guards) and laughing evilly when they hit the walls. I'm good friends with the companions, have a couple of houses and am looking for a warrior spouse. Today though, I focussed on questing, and questing alone.

Arrow to the knee...yes...haven't heard that one

Today I packed up my bag and decided to make my way to a quest that I had long ignored. After all, I'd left this guy on the mountain for weeks now and figured he was probably a little chilly. Being the thoughtful elf that I am, I grabbed the next carriage from Whiterun to solitude, one of my horses tied to the back of the cart. It took a long time to actually get there - it was afternoon when I left and around midnight when I actually reached the gates of Solitude, capital of Skyrim. The 'taxi' driver hadn't been kind enough to drop me off at the gates and so I had to run up an incredibly steep hill to actually get into the city - hills are always off-putting to potential attackers. According to the guard outside I was "Just in time to say 'hello' to Roggvir". Apparently he helped the Stormcloaks assassinate the High King. I would be lying if I said I wasn't curious. 

Midnight execution

It seemed a bit odd to have an execution at close to one in the morning, but I figured they must be pretty desperate to get ride of the guy. a child begged for the executioner not to kill Roggvir, everyone else was pretty keen on him dying. I decided to get a front row seat, get in the splash zone for when they hacked his head off. Sadly, the spray wasn't powerful enough, but I still got a decent view - wood elves are bloodthirsty, you know. After the execution I spent the night at the Winking Skever. According to the innkeeper the name comes from his childhood pet - a Skever that winked. Back when Skevers were smaller and less dangerous. 

In the morning, I decided to go buy another horse - I like to buy a horse in every city I visit. This time is was a nice pale/cream mare that I named Creamy. Creative, I know. I left my black horse, Knight, at the stables because I only really ride him in Whiterun and Creamy needed to be tried out. Supplies packed, I made my way to the now freezing man on the mountain. As I galloped up the mountain something strange crept into the screen. It looked like it was a moving flame but I couldn't be sure so I decided to take it slow for a moment. Of course, taking it slow is never really a good idea and it only led to me being pounced on by a witch and her flaming servant who I can only guess was a fire elemental of some description. From this point I legged it as fast as I could and made sure to escape her and the wolf that jumped out of the bushes. Escaping the crazy witch and the wolf I realized that my destination was actually down the cliff - which was annoying. There was a cave next to me that I thought might lead down, but instead I decided to see if I could jump. Most people would realize that that's not really possible, but I only figured that out when I died half way down the cliff. Going back to my last save, I decided to try a different route and made my way along a lower path. However, I jumped my horse at the wrong time and her legs and neck broke, killing my Creamy instantly. I was quite sad. Partly because I quite liked my new horse but also because I had lost 1000 gold pieces. Leaving her body on the road (I couldn't move it alone) I went back up the mountain. 

Creamy :(

Flaming corpse. Nice...

Going back up the mountain I realized that having a horse is really helpful, mainly because you can outrun psychotic sorcerers and their weird elemental minions. I came across an apprentice and his minion and was killed pretty fast - setting me on fire was really impolite. They just threw my burning corpse aside. Returning to my last save point next to my dead horse I decided to walk back to the stables and grab Knight, even though I didn't want him in any danger. I have an incredibly loyal steed, you know. My horse, my awesome horse actually walked from the stables and to me as if he knew that Creamy had died. Touched by his gesture, I jumped on and decided to try and whole new route - around the mainland. I reached the docks and after some exploration of the area decided it would be best to try and use the path that seemed to wind around the mainland and beside the sea. I would have been able to see if that path actually led me to my destination but I was interrupted by a webcam call that made my game freeze and enraged my poor laptop. Annoyed, I accepted the call to complain about the interruption and then got distracted. So, I'll be back on Skyrim tomorrow and on Monday or Tuesday I'll tell you if that path actually worked. 

Knight! So loyal...

Oh, and I'll be telling you all about our new blogger. You should be excited about that. 

Valhalla

R.I.P Creamy. March 31st 2012 - March 31st 2012