Construed

Not sure how easy it would be to get Game Informer Magazine, as a subscription here in the UK, so am relying on my US based readers to let me in on the Bioshock 2 details contained within the 10 page spread in the April edition.

Viewing the cover & reading the tag-line, ‘Big Sister Awaits Your Return to Rapture’ has thrown up a few concerns, for me, about the storyline for the sequel. I have yet to complete Bioshock but the storyline/gameplay to this very special game are well balanced & interwoven, with one not over-shadowing the other.

If you get Game Informer then I’d be interested to know more…

DM∞

This is post  #99.

It feels the right time for me to do a quick look back just to see what I failed to follow-up on in previous posts – I don’t like to leave you all hanging!

Before I do so, I’d just want to mention that in the next Construed post up(#100), will be my first Comic Book Review. If you’ve missed out on what I’m talking about here, then go back 15 posts to read the announcement.

OK onto the loose ends…

Videogaming

A few bits to tidy up here:

My copy of Spore still remains unopened – I will get to it sometime soon, now the hype surronding this game has passed away. Anyone still playing with this toy, I mean game?

I’d love to finish both Fallout 3 & Bioshock.

Spider-Man: Web of Shadows is also crying-out to to be played – I did give this to a friend to play & his initial thoughts were bad but he did go on to complete it in the end. The more he played it, the more forgiving he was of the game’s shortcomings – this alone makes me want to give it a spin.

You can also expect a Skate 2 review by me, up at Caught in the Crossfire by the end of the month – if not before.

Music

I promise there will be more to come on this topic – I’ve even got a ticket to a gig in March which is my first for many a year! More on that soon.

Movies

I have two that I have been meaning to watch but they still remain unwatched, they are: The Fountain & Dark City. Of course, the end of this month sees the premiere of the Watchmen movie which I hope to catch at a good cinema -  maybe even at the IMAX in London.

TV

CSI & Heroes are my main catch-ups – I have yet to watch at least 8 Heroes shows before it broke at the end of last year. I have some thoughts on the new season of CSI, written down in note-form, which I want to share here on Construed but I may wait for a few more shows to air before I do so.

OK that’s all my tying up done. Just remember, if your a comic book fan like me then keep a sharp eye out for post #100, as I’m back reading monthly comic books again!

DM∞

I have owned my 360 for all of 5 minutes, well OK more like 3 weeks, but I can’t fault the console for the gaming experience it has given me, so far. Nope, not a bit – to the point that my PS3 has sat unused during that time, save for a few excursions of playing Call of Duty – World at War or the odd movie watched.

Now, before you all go & ready your pointy sticks I don’t intend this post to be a console vs. console affair – both the PS3 & the 360 have their good but also their bad points & to own both consoles is a very nice position for me to be in.

What I do want to do in this post is highlight the reasons why I think the 360 will be my console of choice(when I have the luxury of choice) for future gaming:

Achievements – Better conceived than the PS3’s Trophy system, the 360’s achievements give extra depth & life to the videogame experience. The organic feel of progress you get from unlocking achievements, I have found to be spot on with the notification of unlocking each achievement feeling natural to the game experience. Controller – Great fit, well shaped with such a great weight, the feel of the 360 controller gives to the gamer is of a well put together but natural feeling input device. Have to congratulate Microsoft on that one alone. NXE & LIVE – although the new avatars are a bit too Wii for my liking the overall feel I get from the NXE is warmth plus my limited experiences playing online have been faultless. Titles – Great catalogue of videogames on the 360 – I now have Bioshock, Fallout 3, Gears of War 2, Fable II & Left 4 Dead. I now prefer to receive 360 versions of a game title over a PS3 version which I never thought I’d say – getting a PS3 promo of Prince of Persia today made me feel a little sad that it wasn’t a 360 disc, ha!

I may just be out of the honeymoon period of my 360 experience but in a nutshell, as a whole the XBOX 360 wins me over as the closet thing to perfection that a videogaming console, imagined, could be. Time & my 360s cooling fans, of course, will indeed tell.

DM∞

the aliens on-board the USG Ishimura, traverse the ship easily via air vents & can easily get behind you

Whilst I have not entered the horror arena of gaming since playing but yet to complete, both Condemned 2:Bloodshot & Siren:Blood Curse – Dead Space has begun to draw me back to that dark place of exotic scares & thrills but this time on a magnificently imagined mining ship setting, where you get to play as Isaac Clarke, a systems engineer & unlikely hero.

The first 2 chapters of Dead Space have been a dramatic mix of Alien meets Bioshock with the highlights being, so far, the unobtrusive HUD, the game sound & music plus the writing & voice acting. All of which have gone a long way in shaping this title into something of a surprise but enjoyable adventure.

I like that Dead Space has taken Bioshocks lead, with audio tapes that can be played back once found & have also have been impressed with how video communications with the rest of your crew, who your are separated from early on, is projected slightly in-front of Isaac’s view. Also borrowed is the introduction of abilities that can be used, to aid combat or navigate problems/puzzles – very much akin to Bioshocks plasmid abilities.

The first chapter, New Arrivals, has the player(as Isaac) searching the mining vessel, USG Ishimura but also solving problems like removing a damaged tram from the lines of the tram route – allowing the crew & Isaac quicker access to the rest of the vessel.

Dead Space is also the first title that I have unlocked PS3 Trophies in, gaining 2 bronze so far – completing Chapter 1 on any setting, you’ll receive the Dead on Arrival Trophy.

I’ll mine a deeper look at Dead Space in the next game diary post.

DM∞

It’s sure to get mine when it becomes available to download from the PSN later today.

I have never owned a PC that could run the game smoothly enough to play Bioshock & I can at least feel a small ray of light piercing through my virgin Bioshock gaming experience, now that the PS3 is welcoming the Big Daddies & Little Sisters through its port-holes.

I’ll have some thoughts on the demo up in a game diary post, shortly.

DM∞