I came down the stairs on Christmas morning to a shiny new PS4
under the tree. Colour me happy! My wife had spoiled me again and not
only that, she had purchased Shadow of Mordor and Alien Isolation for my
gaming pleasure. My PSN name is phantasmphorever should you wish to add
me.
Backstory: When Sony launched the original Playstation back in the mid 90′s the game changed. I picked my Playstation up on Euro launch day in September 1995 with Battle Arena Toshinden and Wipeout to test out my new machine. I was stunned by what I was seeing on our modest 26 inch television. I don’t think the emergence of one generation from the previous one has ever been as visually impactful.
I had cut me teeth on the Master System. Alex Kidd was played by all and sundry in my house. Choplifter, Transbot and the atrocious World Soccer all got regular play time too. My buddy Phil had an Amiga where Kick Off and Stunt Car Racer were played to death. After that we got a Mega Drive in our house with Street Fighter 2 and Sensible Soccer marathons a regular occurrence. Going to school on two hours sleep was fairly normal for me. I loved gaming and still do!
The main reason games consoles suddenly became must have items in the household was the aforementioned huge leap in graphics. People from all walks of life liked what they saw in arcades but didn’t like the idea of spending a lot of time in one. Now they didn’t have to. They could buy a Playstation and boom, the pleasure of arcade gaming without the, let’s face it, shitty atmosphere of an actual arcade. Sony went from strength to strength and on the back of major releases like Tomb Raider, Tekken, Resident Evil and Final Fantasy VII they brought gaming to the mainstream.
Fast forward to now and what I’m loving more than anything is how the geekiest parts of gaming have become so accepted in the realm of entertainment. Skyrim, for example, had people of all backgrounds going on about “arrows to the knee”. This Tolkienesque universe became a second home to many who wouldn’t know a hobbit from a handbag and it is to the game’s credit that it is so inclusive. It even supports gay marriage. A fucking video game is more forward thinking than half the people who live in my country!!
And so on Chrstmas Day 2014 I set up my PS4. The fact that Lizard Squad had apparently hacked the PSN did not impact on me as I despise online gaming. Shadow of Mordor was thrown into the console. It’s basically Shadow of Arkham or Batman of Mordor and it is an absolute hoot! There is an amazing “nemesis system” where the orc that kills you levels up and advances in Sauron’s army. This is instantly infuriating but oh so satisfying when you take him down with a revenge kill. As the game progresses you gain more powers and perks making things easier. The story rips along at a fair old pace with appearnces from Gollum and Sauron to keep you interested. Like all six of Peter Jackson’s movies, Tolkien purists will hate it, Tolkien whores (like me) will chew it up. Trophy count: 84%
Next up: Alien Isolation. Not much to say here. Brilliant! Terrifying! Never playing it again! I died a lot but at no point did I feel cheated. This one will please both franchise fans and purists alike. Trophy count: 62%
Now we come full circle. Last month I downloaded the Resident Evil Remake to my PS4. Embarrassing Graham fact #890: It took me 41 hours to complete “Resi” when I first played it back in 1996. The problem was I’d never played anything like it before and I was mesmerized. I really struggled with the giant snake and I also found many of the puzzles challenging. As I said, I’d never really played anything like this before and I was (and remain) a bit of a rubbish, if enthusiastic, gamer… So there I was last month ripping through the mansion I’d loved and been terrified by in 1996. This time however, I was ready for it and I was able to really enjoy it. One thing I missed from my original playthrough (because I was wide eyed and terrified) was the genius of the design, the joy of unlocking the next section of the game and the fun of working out which weapon is best suited for each enemy. Hunters (the bane of my original playthrough) were disposed of with ease this time thanks to my Magnum and Grenade Launcher. The snake fell victim to the same combo. Spiders were expertly handled with a few shotgun blasts and I finished it in 15 hours. Now this is still quite slow but I was savouring every second this time round. I really took my time with it and it made the climax all the better… if you get me. If you’re a fan of the original game and missed this release on the Gamecube, you really could do a lot worse. Trophy count: 34% after Jill playthrough.
Finally, having disposed of the mansion and all of its critters I went back to the RPG well. I played Dragon Age Origins on the PS3 and I wanted something sunstantial. Fuck me did I get it!! Dragon Age Inquisition is fucking HUGE!!! Last Sunday after five days of traveling, funeraling and looking after my under the weather wife I started playing this beast and I can honestly say there is a very strong chance I will turn 40 before I complete it (I’m 39 in April) Value for money I suppose.
Cheers,
G.
Backstory: When Sony launched the original Playstation back in the mid 90′s the game changed. I picked my Playstation up on Euro launch day in September 1995 with Battle Arena Toshinden and Wipeout to test out my new machine. I was stunned by what I was seeing on our modest 26 inch television. I don’t think the emergence of one generation from the previous one has ever been as visually impactful.
I had cut me teeth on the Master System. Alex Kidd was played by all and sundry in my house. Choplifter, Transbot and the atrocious World Soccer all got regular play time too. My buddy Phil had an Amiga where Kick Off and Stunt Car Racer were played to death. After that we got a Mega Drive in our house with Street Fighter 2 and Sensible Soccer marathons a regular occurrence. Going to school on two hours sleep was fairly normal for me. I loved gaming and still do!
The main reason games consoles suddenly became must have items in the household was the aforementioned huge leap in graphics. People from all walks of life liked what they saw in arcades but didn’t like the idea of spending a lot of time in one. Now they didn’t have to. They could buy a Playstation and boom, the pleasure of arcade gaming without the, let’s face it, shitty atmosphere of an actual arcade. Sony went from strength to strength and on the back of major releases like Tomb Raider, Tekken, Resident Evil and Final Fantasy VII they brought gaming to the mainstream.
Fast forward to now and what I’m loving more than anything is how the geekiest parts of gaming have become so accepted in the realm of entertainment. Skyrim, for example, had people of all backgrounds going on about “arrows to the knee”. This Tolkienesque universe became a second home to many who wouldn’t know a hobbit from a handbag and it is to the game’s credit that it is so inclusive. It even supports gay marriage. A fucking video game is more forward thinking than half the people who live in my country!!
And so on Chrstmas Day 2014 I set up my PS4. The fact that Lizard Squad had apparently hacked the PSN did not impact on me as I despise online gaming. Shadow of Mordor was thrown into the console. It’s basically Shadow of Arkham or Batman of Mordor and it is an absolute hoot! There is an amazing “nemesis system” where the orc that kills you levels up and advances in Sauron’s army. This is instantly infuriating but oh so satisfying when you take him down with a revenge kill. As the game progresses you gain more powers and perks making things easier. The story rips along at a fair old pace with appearnces from Gollum and Sauron to keep you interested. Like all six of Peter Jackson’s movies, Tolkien purists will hate it, Tolkien whores (like me) will chew it up. Trophy count: 84%
Next up: Alien Isolation. Not much to say here. Brilliant! Terrifying! Never playing it again! I died a lot but at no point did I feel cheated. This one will please both franchise fans and purists alike. Trophy count: 62%
Now we come full circle. Last month I downloaded the Resident Evil Remake to my PS4. Embarrassing Graham fact #890: It took me 41 hours to complete “Resi” when I first played it back in 1996. The problem was I’d never played anything like it before and I was mesmerized. I really struggled with the giant snake and I also found many of the puzzles challenging. As I said, I’d never really played anything like this before and I was (and remain) a bit of a rubbish, if enthusiastic, gamer… So there I was last month ripping through the mansion I’d loved and been terrified by in 1996. This time however, I was ready for it and I was able to really enjoy it. One thing I missed from my original playthrough (because I was wide eyed and terrified) was the genius of the design, the joy of unlocking the next section of the game and the fun of working out which weapon is best suited for each enemy. Hunters (the bane of my original playthrough) were disposed of with ease this time thanks to my Magnum and Grenade Launcher. The snake fell victim to the same combo. Spiders were expertly handled with a few shotgun blasts and I finished it in 15 hours. Now this is still quite slow but I was savouring every second this time round. I really took my time with it and it made the climax all the better… if you get me. If you’re a fan of the original game and missed this release on the Gamecube, you really could do a lot worse. Trophy count: 34% after Jill playthrough.
Finally, having disposed of the mansion and all of its critters I went back to the RPG well. I played Dragon Age Origins on the PS3 and I wanted something sunstantial. Fuck me did I get it!! Dragon Age Inquisition is fucking HUGE!!! Last Sunday after five days of traveling, funeraling and looking after my under the weather wife I started playing this beast and I can honestly say there is a very strong chance I will turn 40 before I complete it (I’m 39 in April) Value for money I suppose.
Cheers,
G.
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