• 13Feb 10

  Quality of Service.

  Yesterday I decided to break my Gamestop boycott to pick up Ratchet and Clank:Tools of Destruction for my other half as part of a Valentine's day gift. I had to endure five minutes of the experiance being "advised" to get the preowned copy instead (when I had said at the beginning I didn't want it) and got an additional five minutes being "advised" to spend another €2 on extented warrenty (when again I said at the very beginning I didn't want it). Extended warrenty is nothing but a cheap tactic that is really only used for household appliances. In that area I can understand it but I feel that it's very sly of Gamestop to try and make and additional €2 off their customers. What really annoyed me though is how they still try and push to preowned games. Why does that annoy me? Game publishers sell their games to outlets and get a fair share of the sales. When a game is traded, not only does the trader get screwed over (the game is normally sold at 200% profit), but the game publisher/developer doesn't see a single cent for their hard work. Who takes that extra 200% to the bank? Gamestop. When I go to the counter with something I want theemployee to scan it, bag it and take my money, nothing else. I hate that place so much.

  I had another unpleansant experiance this week but it was with a GAME employee.I had been lucky enough to get my copy of Bioshock 2 a couple of days early in HMV, so a day or two later I popped into the GAME by my college to get the guide. I saw one behind the counter but when I asked the manager if it was for salehe said it wasn't availible. I thought this was fine but a couple of seconds later when I was talking to my friend, we both DISTINCTLY heard him mutter "it's s**t anyway". We took notice, butgenerallydidn't think much of it. SoI returned on release dayto pick it up and I noticedthemanager behind the counter again, but this time I wentto the other employee. Saidemployee asks me what I think off Bioshock 2. I say "pretty good" and again I hear in the corner of my ear "f*****g s****e*. I send the manager an awkward look and I go on my way. I DIDN'T ask for his opinion and I certainly DIDN'T like the not-so-subtle muttering. I was quite annoyed by the whole thing as I don't feel I need to justify my choice in game to some fat, sweaty GAME employee. Next time I'm going to HMV, where I don't need to concern myself with the sly remarks of it's staff.

  • Posted Feb 13, 2010 3:51 am GMT
  • Category: People
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• 24Apr 09

  My E3 2009 Predictions (Demands)

  Ok soat this stage all of us gamers must be thinking about E3 and I think it's time I aired my hopes for what's to come. So in no particular order.

  New Metal Gear Project Announcement-Really any closure on this matter would be satisfactory. I'm hoping for a continuation of the saga in some shape or form. A prequel to MGS4 in which we play as Raiden is the odds on favourite in to be announced. To be honest though I trust Hideo enough to go along with whatever he does. A PSP prequel where you play as Ocelot would be all kinds of awsome. Fingers are being crossed.

  GTA IV Sequel Teaser/Announcement- This one is a long shot but people have to be thinking about this. GTA IV set a great tone for a new series. Personally I wouldn't mind a continuation of Niko's story but I want a different city. The obvious prediction is Vice City and it's a big possibilityity. I want somewhere outside America though, perhaps Mexico City or Paris, even somewhere really different like Venice or Glasgow. I want it to be set in Europe. Even a confirmation that a sequel in development would satisfy me in this area.

  Assassin's Creed 2 Trailer/Info-Given the April announcement of the game it would make perfect sense to unload some eye candy on us at E3. To be real this is exactly what E3 is for, throwing loads of anticipationammunition at us that isn't going to get published on any normal day. Ubisoft has to have something ready to show us. In a perfect world, a tech demo.

  Bioshock 2 Gameplay/Info- This is in the same ballpark as AC2. We've been given just enough information on the game to get our attention. Now it's time to hit us with the good stuff. Once more I would want a tech demo or even a new trailer. Some more information on the story would be great.

  Dead Space Sequel Teaser- This game has to happen. Dead Space was too good to not be honoured with a sequel. I mean we all know that there is a studio somewhere in the world right now that is working on the sequel I just want some peace of mind. A small teaser that's telling us that it exists will make me happy. To be honest I see this one as a shot in the dark(forgive the figure of speech). It'll be great if we get an announcement but I won't be holding my breath.

  Uncharted 2 Trailer/Tech Demo/Gameplay- This game has been off the map for too long. We need some answers. It's great to see the new characters and environments but now I want to see some old. I read that Elena Fisher is coming back but I wanna know about Sully. Plus we've seen some great in-engine trailers but I wanna see how the gameplay is shaping up, if the tech has come such a long way since the last game then i want to see it. This game will sell like condoms no matter what but it's such a big game that E3 shouldn't go without it.

  Modern Warfare 2 Trailer/Info- As ambiguous as it was that Modern Warfare 2 teaser was all kinds of greatness. Sounds were great and style was in abundance. Now it's time for some details. This is another game that will sell by the bucketload nomatter what but I think it'd be cool to see where Infinity Ward has taken a game that is already verging on perfect. I think this one has good odds for a trailer.

  God of War III Gameplay- We've heard story details, we've seen some trailers, it's time for some gameplay demos. It's hightime this new "zipper tech" was unleashed to the world.This one is highly likely considering the great marketing that's been happening for the game since the beginning. Consideringg ameplay screenshots are starting to appear it'd be cool to see some of this sweet poetryin motion. Holding breath . . .now.

  Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier Trailer- I think this game isn't getting the marketing it deserves. The series did great on the PS2/PSP and we've all been waiting for an announcement that never seemed to come. Then we get it on April Fool's Day! So, Naughty Dog isn't developing it and that's ok, they've got a perfectly good excuse (working on Uncharted 2). I can go along with High Impact working on it, their work with Ratchet and Clank is documented and respected. Yet, I feel that while a successor to the great Daxter on PSP is more than, it's time for the PS3 sequel that we all know we want. I'm really hoping that Naughty Dog picksup again on the series after they're done with Uncharted. Until then, a PSP midquel is good enough to keep me quiet.

  Crysis Sequel Announcement- Crytek are geniuses in my book. Anyone who's undecided needs to take alook at Crysis, or even the reviews of Crysis. Before that they kicked ass with Far Cry. These guys know their business, now it's time for them to get on with this "trilogy" that we're hoping for. Crysis Warhead was an expansion and not a sequel and that's great. If they put that much polish into the expansion what can we expect from the full sequel? I have high hopes for this one and can't wait to see what they've got plans. Personally I think it's time to take it urban. Make me proud guys.

  TimeSplitters 4 Announcement- When Free Radical went into administration it really illustrated to us just how unforgiving the game industry can be. This studio was making quality games until the screwed the pooch with Haze. Granted it was a misstep but I can forgive a company that made a mistake. Apparently Crytek was on the same page and bought them. Unfortunately this was a little late as some of Radical's big hitters had started a new studio by now but still, it's good to see a drowning studio get rescued by one of the bigger kids. Now it's time to get back on the horse. TimeSplitters was a good franchise that always tried to improve upon itself and I'm waiting with open arms for it's next gift to gaming. With Crytek behind them this could be some real competition for Killzone and Call of Duty. Come on home Free Radical (we'll play along and call you Crytek UK) All is forgiven.

  Hitman 5 Teaser/Announcement: Here's a series that's has been uncomfortably quiet for too long. Which is why this demand is something of a long shot. This is a decent and while some can argue that the formula is starting to age, Eidos shouldn't just abandon it. It'd be great to get some sort of word on it, but place no bets.

  So that's my requests and predictions. Some of these are definitly gonna come up. I'll do a dance to college if we get all of them though.

  • Posted Apr 24, 2009 2:28 pm GMT
  • Category: Editorial
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• 15Mar 09

  Gaming and I (Me and Gaming)

  It's been a while since I've written anything up here so I think it's about time I dusted off the ol' blog space. So here we go.

  I fell into the gaming world at a pretty early age. My first memories being watching my older brother playing Terminator 2 on (what I think was) the Commodore 64, or maybe the Amstrad, my family owned both at one point. Even at this age I knew that gaming was for me, I was lucky enough to be the youngest in a family of five siblings so I got a great feel for games at an early age. I would get up early in the morning before the others to play classics such as Shinobi and Double Dragon. A wonderful time when there was no thing such as a bad game. I have never truly recaptured the feeling of playing the tank game (I can't remember the name) with my whole family, passing the keyboard from one to another. Some people played board games, we stared at a monitor.

  Some short years later I remember my brother borrowing a Sega Megadrive. At the very least this was a revolution. The hours I spent playing Sonic the Hedgehog are uncountable. There was a new variation in games that was so exiting to me, Paperboy, Alien 3, Batman Returns and Gunship 2000. This would lead to a healthy association with console games that still thrives today.

  The next step was possibly the most significant. I was one day met in my friend Darragh's driveway with him holding up Alien: Trilogy and a PSone controller. The next few hours ae something of a blur that featured hundreds of duels in Tekken 2 and my first ever gaming frights in the form of Facehuggers in Alien: Trilogy. Crash Bandicoot won my heart on that very day. Needless to say my parents bought me my own Playstation and a small television for my birthday that year. The feeling of going into Smyths Toyshop on the cold December evening is still happily etched in my mind. That night I lost my Tekken 3 virginity and had a copy of Crash Bandicoot to call my own. I remember the next day I brought in a trophy of the manuel to Tekken 3 to school to show of my latest toy. Gaming became a bigger part of my life as the months went by. Games like Grand Theft Auto and Croc took alot of my time. I was given gifts of Tomb Raider and Vigilante 8. My favourite of all being Metal Gear Solid. Unfortunately this Playstation would be dropped by a a visiting child but was luckily still under warrenty so was quickly replaced.

  Towards my eleventh birthday personal tragedy struck. On a warm day leading up to Christmas my house was burgled while I was at school. My mother and I were the first to arrive home, upon noticing that my front door had been done in a ran with all my might towards my bedroom, bursting through the door to see a depressing emtpy shelf where my beloved Playstation used to reside. I cried for hours that day, obviously the whole ordeal was very traumatic to a young boy but this was amplified by the loss of not only a piece of technology but a friend. As twisted as that may sound you must understand that I live in a very secluded area and I'd spend many an evening sitting in front of the tiny Beko screen playing classics that I still revisit today when the opportunity presents itself. This was a personal loss to me that is still rather upsetting to think about. Luckily my parents understood the weight of my loss and replaced the Playstation a few long months later. I remeber my friend Daniel being kind enough to loan me his Megadrive while I waited, a truly selfless gesture to me at the time. Soon my eleventh birthday my parents and I made a return to Smyths to start again, I was lucky enough to still have my TV and most of my games, the thieves were more than likely in a huge hurry and had to be mindful of how much they carried. So I returned home once more with a Playstation and a copy of Tomb Raider: Revelations.

  The Sony Playstation 2 was my next big gaming purchase, my sister made a deal with me that if I saved up have the money to buyone she'd sponser me the rest. To be honest I've been blessed with a family that understands my adoration of video games. I remember the exitment of putting Tekken Tag Tournament into the console and being blown away by the huge leap in graphics. Interstingly enough I wasn't so lucky to have a memory card so I'd spend hours playing through the Arcade Mode repeatedly to earn the hidden characters and then shed a tear when I had to turn it off.I suffered the loss ofthe PS2 when, using my foot as leverage, I jumped from my bed to answer the phone, catching the controller wire on my foot, yanking the console off it's perch and dropping it to the floor. This resulting in the rather grusome event of the fan blowing up, shooting plastic shrapnel all over the components. needless to say my mother promised me a replacement for my birthday/Christmas. While waiting a started a new habit that is still alive and well today. I stopped forcing myself to choose between games that I wanted and just buy them all through any means necessary.I was about thirteen by now and in secondary school. My mam would give me €4 every day for lunch. €0.50 of that was spend on a buttered bread role and I'd bring my own bottle of water. The left over money would be saved for a game. This was when I bought games like Second Sight and Hitman 2. That Christmas there was a huge gaming binge when I finally was reunited with gaming that December.

  When my Leaving Certificate exam loomed closer in 2007 I was forced totake a holiday from gaming in light of my impending doom (exams). in order to facilitate yet another gaming orgasm I started purchasing mass amounts of games in anticipation for the completion of my tests. I would go into the city and buy three or four games at a time, old and new. Many preowned games came into my possession in those months that I'm still working my way through to this day. After my tests I also managed to pick up a used Ninteno Gamecube and a rare copy of Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, still in my mindset of "why compramise?".This introduced me to the world of Resident Evil as well, for which I am eternally grateful to Nintendo.

  The Playstation 3 was the next bundle of joy to join the ranks of my consoles. The release of Metal Gear Solid4: Guns of the Patriots was far too important to miss. This again created a tremendous feeling of pride in console gaming as I was once more overwhelmed by the substantial jump in technology.After playing Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Assassin's Creed and more recently Killzone 2 I've come to appreciate the technological heyday that our generation is experiencing. I do plan on buying an XBox 360 at some stage but I want towait until the red ring of death is less prevalent. There are games on the console that I simply need to play and will when I get the chance.

  So, many years on and numerous consoles later here I am, nineteen years old and aspiring to be a games designer. I honestly can't really put into words what gaming has done for me throughout my life. While I remain an avid film fan and I love my iPod and the CDs I own, gaming is at the forefront of my recreation. You may or may not have noticed that PC game weren't really mentioned. That's because while I doenjoy the odd game of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War or Call of Duty, PC gaming just hasn't been as significant to me as console gaming has been.

  So in conclusion that's my relationship with gaming so far, andif it's still as interesting and exiting to me in ten years I'll be a happy gamer. Sorry if I went on a bit but that's how it's been to me, always there and always loads of entertainment and source of intrigue to me. So until next time, thank you for reading and I hope gaming has been as good to you as it has been to me.

  • Posted Mar 15, 2009 8:21 am GMT
  • Category: Editorial
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