i-39!

Sleeping outdoors at the beginning of April isn’t normally something I’d recommend.  However, sleeping outdoors because you’re attending a Multiplay i-series LAN party is fine – and exactly what we were doing this last weekend.

We arrived around 1pm on Thursday, to find ourselves amongst the first there.  Happily this meant we were able to register in just 10 minutes, including the time it took for the database to be rebooted.. a huge improvement on i-37, where we waited for over two hours in the queue!
We then set up our tents in a nice spot by the old grandstand, finishing just in time for it to start throwing it down!

After that it was a matter of waiting for our friends to arrive, set up their tents, and find our way to the pub for a bit before the event was properly opened up.

There were also some nice new hoodies for members of CantFitMyN, with names on the back and smaller logos with initials on the front.  This resulted in a game of “spell rude words with our initials for the camera”, pictures of which I won’t be adding here 😉

Along with the rest of the clan, we took over one end of the first floor of the Grandstand, and it was clean, undisturbed and fairly quiet, until Sunday night’s chatroulette antics from the row behind us, at which point we couldn’t hear ourselves speak for the screams coming from this group..  Otherwise, a damn good spot, worth trying to bag again for i-40!

So, normally there are a few new games which grab my interest at lan.  This time it was Heroes of Newerth (beta), which I’m told is virtually a clone of Warcraft III’s DoTA mod.  I’ve not tried that mod so I’m not going to make any comparisons, but I have to say I loved playing this game despite the kickings I’ve had this far. 🙂

The weekend was wrapped up with a massive battle on TF2, with CantFitMyN managing to win their first game against Crazy / inv .. though possibly due to having a few more players on the team!

Metro 2033

When I first heard of Metro 2033, all I could think of was how similar it sounded to Fallout.. humanity surviving underground following nuclear devestation, scavenging for survival, mutant creatures.   So, as I loved the Fallout series, I wanted this game from fairly early on.

Friday was launch day, and so I got home, installed the game and started there and then.  Another comparison to the Fallout games?  I found myself playing for a good few hours, barely noticing the time go past.  The atmosphere is amazing, especially in the Metro stations where you can hear everything that’s going on all around you.

On going outside in the polluted air, you need a gasmask.. for which you also need to keep topped up with air filters. How do you know when to change your filter?  Check your wristwatch! 🙂

Wearing the mask for extended periods will also lead it to fog up, making it harder to see.  If you’re fighting while wearing it, you’ll also notice it developing cracks, and eventually breaking..

Once there’s a hole in your mask, you need to change it for a new one (there will be a few laying around in places), or you will start to gasp, wheeze, and eventually keel over and die.

The weapons start off quite weak, especially when using hand-made bullets.  You could use the good, shiny bullets, which are much higher-powered, but since they double as currency, using them might mean you can’t upgrade your weapon at the next station.

In some areas, stealth is the way to go, and here I have to confess to enjoying picking the enemies off with throwing knives. 🙂

In others, the way to go is to simply blow stuff up.. and I just love fire! 🙂

Some of the monsters were frustrating, especially when low on ammo – I’m looking at you, Librarian – but it was nice to be challenged.  All in all, I thought there was a great mix of action and stealth, with a few puzzles and surprises thown in there as well.  I also enjoyed the last section, ‘Ethereal’; running away from the Dark One who wanted to kill me, before finally getting a weapon..  After dealing with him, I had my choice of ending: “If it’s hostile, kill it”, or “find the truth”.

Considering my track record of non-completion, and the fact I spent around twelve hours playing Garry’s mod with friends (I’m blaming the friends for the amount of time there).. I’m quite pleased with myself for completing this in the first weekend!

The Sun in Sunday

Last night, staying over with family, we had a rather extended session with the ‘band’ – with tracks picked from Band Hero, Guitar Hero 5, Guitar Hero World Tour and Guitar Hero Smash Hits.  When I say ‘extended’, I mean that we only just managed to drag ourselves away somewhere after 1.30am..

There were also a few drinks, so I didn’t like my head this morning, though it was nice waking up with the sun coming through the window!  This morning there’s also been a last minute offer of dinner, so rather than going home and more than likely spending the afternoon at the PC, we’ve been out walking the dogs on the beach..

Chaos Rising

5.30am.  Dark and cold.  This is a time of day best slept through, but at the end of February, I found myself getting out of my warm bed and getting ready for a day in London with THQ and Chaos Rising, the first expansion for Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II.  After baking in the train – the heating was broken in my carriage and thus on full blast – I was glad of the cold outside 🙂

The event was held in HMV’s Gamerbase in the Trocadero Centre, easy enough to find.  However, the toilets were not so easy to find (none in the Gamerbase or even on the same floor) and then when I did find them.. well.
I figured a £1 charge to be a bit excessive, and ended up sneaking into the McDonalds a few streets down instead!

So, the game..
Chaos Rising adds a new campaign to run through, this time facing the Chaos Space Marines.  These are a corrupted form of the Space Marines you control, with a new set of skills and abilities.  Only the first three missions were available to play at the event, following which the guests tried out the multiplayer side of the game.  Of the new units, the Great Unclean One stood out as a rather interesting, if hideous specimen 🙂

A new corruption mechanic has been added to the expansion, with your squads gaining corruption for questionable actions, such as taking items from Shrines, or ignoring optional side missions to help out civilians.  Gaining corruption leads to different abilities and access to higher level wargear, but will lead to you being unable to use other wargear for which you need to be Pure.

Along with the campaign, there are new units for each of the races, new maps, and extra modes for multiplayer including free-for-all, which probably means I should brace for a beating 😉

My favourite mode, Last Stand, gains two new heroes, the Tyranid Hive Tyrant and the Chaos Space Marine Sorcerer.  Both of these can summon minions too, which makes for an interesting group of allies!

Completion, part one..

So, in order to get Heavy Rain, I have to complete two console games..

I normally stay on the PC, because I’m also usually talking to friends via Steam or Mumble.  However, it was suggested that I stick Mumble on the laptop, so I can have friends and play on the console 🙂

First on my list was Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.
I had gotten half-way through on previous attempts, before being distracted by something newer and shinier..  I’ve also been prodded to finish this by another friend more recently, so completing this game was rather like killing two birds with one stone.

I got most of the way through yesterday, stopping after completing the One Shot One Kill mission.  I’m not a particularly good sniper in other games, so I thought I would really struggle with this section.  However, I found it easier, and much more enjoyable than expected 🙂

Tonight’s completion of the game took longer than I thought, but apparently I missed a bonus level as I didn’t sit through the credits 🙁

So.. the next console game.. I’m not quite sure which it should be.  Possibly Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, as that’s another I’ve started and not finished, and with the sequel, Among Thieves sitting on the shelf, one I feel a bit more pressure about.

A quick peek at Heavy Rain

After a pretty decent pub meal this evening, we went back to a friend’s place.. and while there, checked out the first bit of Heavy Rain, a PS3 exclusive by Quantic Dream.  I’d describe the game as an interactive movie, but this description doesn’t feel enough, somehow..

There are many outcomes to the game, all depending on the choices (or mistakes) made in each scene. 

Starting off, you take control of the first of four protagonists, Ethan, getting him out of bed, washed and dressed.  Hilarity ensued as controlling him consists of performing motions on the controller to represent actions which are highlighted on-screen.  I managed to get Ethan showered, but shaving proved.. interesting.  I’m just glad it was an electric shaver, else he’d have been heading to the hospital for blood loss, rather than heading downstairs for breakfast!  Choices were then left up to me – watch television, wander around outside, play with the remote -controlled car..

The kids arrived home, and I took Ethan out to play with them.  While playing at sword-fighting I was given an interesting choice – pull my blows on my digital son, or land them?  Block his blows, or let him win?  I decided Ethan would be a nice father and let the kid win 🙂

One of the other protagonists was an FBI agent – this scene involved the discovery of a body, and investigating the scene.  Again, choices.. talk to just the one man required for the objective, or go poking around and asking everybody questions?  After talking to the required police chief, I was given the option to simply return to the station, but figured I should also investigate the body and crime scene in general to see if there was more evidence.  This led to a rather interesting trail up a slippery, mud-covered slope, with each missed step marked down in mud on the agent’s previously spotless black suit 🙂

Now.. I have a little problem in completing games, and so I try to limit what I buy.. but I want this game!  Tim said he will buy this once I have completed two more console games..

Daddy, no!

I’d planned on leaving this for a few weeks, but I already started on my ‘evil’ playthrough of BioShock 2..

This time, there shall be no mercy for any of the little Sisters.. although maybe a little twinge of guilt at the actual point of harvest 😉

I’ve also turned off the Vita-Chambers for this one, looking to pick up a few more achievements!

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II

I recently started playing this with a couple of friends.

My favourite has to be Last Stand.. maybe because I find it easier, though  🙂

So far I’ve concentrated on playing as the Force Commander, which I’m finding a great way to unwind.. there’s just something really sastisfying about running into a bunch of enemies and sending them flying all around!

BioShock 2

I’ve not updated in a while.. mainly because all my free time is taken up with playing games!  I know, I know, poor excuse. 😉

I just completed BioShock 2, a little later than planned, but for me it’s a good achievement.  I’m too easily distracted with other new games, or recently, with another game of L4D2 – which has been improved greatly with the addition of infected AI.

Comparing BioShock 2 with the original.. I still can’t decide which of the two is better.

#2 had a lot to live up to in terms of storyline, and after the twist in the tale of the first, I was always going to be suspicious of the motives of the various characters.  I wanted to kill Lamb right from the off – that didn’t change throughout, although in the end it wasn’t up to me..

When given a choice between good and evil, I tend towards good, so in both games I ended up adopting and rescuing the Little Sisters rather than harvesting them.

As with other games recently, I was comparing progress (or in my case, lack of progress) with friends, and found they were harvesting the Sisters.  I’m going to do that on the next play through, so I won’t be criticising them for it 😉

Hacking and research work differently now, and while I found hacking with the meter to be no problem, another friend preferred the original game’s method of moving pipes around.   Personally I found the meter more fitting than the pipes, so for me this was an improvement.  The new research method was another improvement – recording a video rather than just taking photos, although I once found myself researching a friendly security bot instead of the angry splicer rushing at me, because the bot flew down in the way.

Still, it’s a beautiful looking game, and with the moral choices leading to an alternative ending, it’s a game I’m going to play through again.

Left 4 Dead 2 Maps

Also been trying out a few custom maps for Left 4 Dead 2.. with some maps being more successful than others.

Big Brother 2 is a fairly decent survival map with a little bonus for those of us who find the gnome amusing..  if you take the gnome to the diary room and drop him in the chair, a hatch opens above the kitchen counter and drops a nice pile of gnomes 🙂

Another that we found particularly nice looking was The Island.
After playing through a few times, we decided to have a little fun with the numerous gas cans laying around.

Tempting, no?  Well, we thought so.. especially once we were standing in amongst it all!

Fire, lovely fire 🙂