Friday 13 September 2013

A Tau Project

Something I meant to add on the bottom of that last post... (but then thought hey, it deserves its own little page)

If you are a fan of Warhammer, specifically Warhammer 40,000, then feel free to check out this thread over on the popular wargaming forums Warseer. Myself, along with a couple of friends have decided to try and paint 1000pt armies and will be using that thread to show what we've done so far.

My current army is based on the Farsight Enclaves which is a supplement to the standard Tau Empire Codex.

If you have no idea of what I'm talking about then perhaps that link isn't for you!


GTA Inbound

If you are here, looking at this, then I doubt you'll need to be reminded about what is being released on Tuesday. OK, so you've got the big names in gaming, you've even got Call of Duty, but no videogame can come close to the hype levels of Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto series.

Gaming press, mainstream press, friends, family...hell even your nan has heard of/spoken about GTA these past few weeks. Its been delayed a number of times which has caused forum commenter's to rage, but all is forgiven in the world as we are only days away from the release of the biggest game of the year.

I saw an image on Facebook the other day (which I sadly forgot to download or remember who posted it) showing a small independent game shop's front window. Displayed in it was a small notice, announcing that the shop would be shut on Wednesday 18th September due to everyone (including themselves) being at home playing GTA V. It made me chuckle as its true, I fully expect my own shop to be quieter than normal (in stark contrast to Tuesday, which will be horrifically busy).

Personally I'm really looking forward to taking a spin around Los Santos and see for myself it can live up to the hype that has been generated. The trailers have certainly left more of an impression compared to GTA IV, which don't get me wrong was a great game but like many others boredom set in as the environments didn't have enough diversity. Something tells me based on the trailers and the leaked map (see below) that diversity will not be an issue with this title.


I feel sorry for a lot of the upcoming unreleased games that are just coming out on the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 as the timing of GTA has been timed really well. With tons of content I've had a fair number of customers state that it'll (hopefully) keep them going until the launch of the new consoles (starting with the Xbox One on November 22nd). A number of regulars are already holding back on purchases due to GTA and the new consoles. While sales of Saints Row IV were good sales figures from other notable releases such as Splinter Cell: Blacklist and Diablo 3 I would expect to be higher if they'd been released further forward in the year, possibly even as late as a month ago.

If both/one of the machines had backwards compatibility then yeah, maybe people would be more keen to splash the cash now, but as I mentioned in a previous post it wouldn't have been financially viable for Sony and Microsoft to work compatibility into the new machines without giving something up or adding further cost to the consumer.

Monday 10 June 2013

E3 Coverage

So today is the big day!

E3 is ready to kick off this evening, starting with Microsoft's presentation at 5.30pm. EA follow at 9pm, with Ubisoft finishing the day off at 11pm.

Early birds (not including me, I'm afraid ill be watching a re-run afterwards) can catch Sony's presentation at 2am tomorrow morning. To finish off with have Nintendo, albeit not an E3 presentation per say, releasing a new Nintendo Direct video which will focus on the Nintendo Wii U.

I'll be tweeting (amongst everyone else) during the presentations. Why not join in? You can follow me on Twitter, @TeldurUK. Use the #E3BP hash tag to join in with my fellow processors views.

Monday 6 May 2013

Console Wars: The Next Generation

Just about enough time to type up a few words!

OK, so we've known for a long time that Microsoft have been busy behind the scenes creating their newest piece of hardware. Lets be honest, they've done a terrible job at trying to keep the project under wraps.

On May 21st we shall finally see the unveiling of the new Xbox via a live stream. Microsoft have already raised their hands and said that the announcement in May is purely a taster of whats to come when E3 rolls around in June, but hopefully we'll see enough to wet out appetites.

Will you need to be online at all times? Is it true that it'll have Blu Ray capabilities? Will they step up and bring some new IPs to the table? Is the focus still very much on entertainment 'apps'?

So many questions.

We do know however, that we shall get a glimpse of the new Call of Duty during the conference. Activision have announced Call of Duty Ghosts, and aside from a teaser video little else is know. It is however confirmed thanks to the new official site that we'll learn more during the Xbox showcase.

We've already had a peak at what Sony have planned for the Playstation 4 while Nintendo already have the Wii U on the market. With all this new tech hitting retailers the gaming industry should hopefully have an uplift compared to the decline in sales and new releases. The decline points towards the recent recession and the inevitable end of console cycle lack of new, exciting titles (alright, we've had a few exceptions!).

Another phenomenon that occurs when so many new consoles and games launch are the attack of fanboys.

Ahhh....fanboys.

Yes, they can be aggressive, one sided, hitting forums with jaded views...

Would a new console cycle be as exciting without a horde of game hungry fans wanting to prove to others that their favourite console is better than everyone elses?

No it wouldn't.

While the 'console wars' will never be as 'entertaining' as the glory days with SEGA squaring off with Nintendo (check out this for a direct advertisement aimed at your competitor!) the new Xbox and Playstation will still create a stir between friends.

I've got some articles and projects on-going (mainly related to my actual job, but a few journalism based ones too), which I hope to unleash soon. In the meantime, if anyone has access to a time machine, or even a cloning device, give me a shout yeah?

Thursday 25 April 2013

New Work

< enter excuse for not posting on here for a while here >

I have got one major update however! I've started writing news articles for Grainger Games, a UK-based videogame retailer. My first article (regarding the Nintendo Direct video posted last week) was posted a few days ago while a second is on its way.

While at the moment they won't be super regular I am hoping to get the opportunity to post more often in the near future. Watch this space!

Due to lots of things I've been unable to kickstart the Blast Process podcast into action. Tom (fellow Blast Processor and regular podcast co-host) has gone and created a new podcast in the meantime alongside his friend Matthew. It's called Tom + Mat Attack and they currently have two episodes online. Follow this link to listen or alternatively search for them on iTunes.

Saturday 23 March 2013

New Updates

Afternoon!

Just a quick update with a couple of links.

The first one is all about the Wii U. Is it all over for Nintendo's latest home console? While it may look bleak I can assure you the best is yet to come based on previous Nintendo consoles. Don't sell yours just yet!

And finally, I'm a big fan of Bastion so it was much glee that Supergiant Games have announced a brand new title, Transistor. It looks the buisness thus far!

Friday 1 March 2013

A Step Backwards

So by now I'm sure you've all have seen the new about the Playstation 4, with its PC-like gubbins, Dual Shock 4 controller and all its other bits and bobs.

And while for the most part everyone is looking forward to the arrival of a new next generation console Sony do have a slight problem to contend with.

Backwards compatibility.

Sony confirmed during the conference that the Playstation 4 was not 'natively' backwards compatible, meaning it won't play your current games. They did however state that they hope to release every PSOne, PS2 and PS3 games online to be purchased and downloaded digitally. No word on if owning the original counts towards a free download however I'd feel you'd have to be very realistic to think you'll be able to download the digital version for free. PSN titles, such as Journey and The Unfinished Swan will also be unavailable to play on your shiny new console, at least not on day one (again, Sony are looking to bringing these titles over to the 'new PSN').

Do I feel a lack of backwards compatibility is a major issue? No, not really. I want to play brand new games on my new console, and to be honest I'll probably try and hang on to my Playstation 3 anyway. While its nice to have the option to play your favourite titles from the current generation on your new piece of hardware for me I don't feel as its a much needed feature. Also the specifications have changed an awful lot between the Playstation 3 and 4, and although I'm no technical specs expert from what I've heard and read it would have involved more components within the machine to play PS3 games as well as extra bits of software. This would have all been added onto the retail price of the console.

Since the conference I've spoken to various gamers while at work and during an indie game event I got to attend last night. While the 'hardcore' crowd were not genuinely worried about the lack of backwards compatibility a large percent of those I did speak to were very unimpressed.

Again, a few of those unimpressed consumers who were predominantly Playstation 3 gamers admitted that if Microsoft's new console was backwards compatible that they'd choose the new Xbox over the new Playstation. A strong statement considering we know very little about the new Xbox yet. New games are expensive, so I can sort of understand why many would want to fall back on older games while bridging gaps between new releases.

Sony have been here before though, lets not forget while the original 60GB PS3 did play PS2 games that the many models that have come since do not. While a large number of people were unhappy with the features removal it hasn't stopped the PS3 from becoming a moderate success. How many more consoles would they have sold if the feature had stayed? Who knows, but I strongly feel it wouldn't have affected sales that considerably.

The pressure certainly is on for Microsoft. I doubt the Playstation conference would have affected their plans for the new Xbox that much as these things take years to develop, but they'll have trawled through the many comments and reactions based around Sony's offering.

To finish, I wouldn't be too worried about backwards compatibility. It would have been nice yes, but not really required.

Now the supposed blocking on used games, that is something that could spoil the next generation party.

Tuesday 26 February 2013

Dr. Kawashima's Devilish Brain Training


Last year was a great year for those who like mysteries and puzzle games, with a brand new Professor Layton title that offered more brain teasers and mini games than ever before among the biggest releases of 2012. For 2013 though, Nintendo is continuing to help sharpen our minds with a new brain training game that promises to help us focus – or at least, asks us if we can.

Dr Kawashima's Devilish Brain Training: Can You Stay Focused? comes to the Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo 3DS XL this April 12th having recently been delayed for a month, so what does the game feature and will it turn us from jelly-brained idiots into genius rocket scientist bods in a matter of days? Well, it’s unlikely, but why don’t we take a look at what the good Doctor is prescribing in this latest effort?

So once again, all the brain teasers here have been developed with the cooperation of the now infamous neuroscientist Dr Ryuta Kawashima. But while many of us are by now familiar with the series, this new Devilish Brain Training entry will be the first to be released specifically for the Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo 3DS XL, with the last lot having appeared on the Nintendo DS. As you can tell from the title, the emphasis has been placed on improving the gamers’ concentration and focus, so if you feel like you’re getting a bit hazy in your old age, this could be the game for you.

The idea is that you play through some of the exercises just for a few minutes each day – and over the course of several weeks, you should start to see some personal improvements in how you are able to concentrate and focus your thoughts. This, it is claimed, will allow you to train your working memory in a way that will aid things like information storage and much more. Of course, there are still games out there like New Super Mario Bros. 2 that will offer you pure fun, but why not give Devilish Brain Training – with its 30 exercises and challenges – a spin after each bout of Mario action before you switch of your 3DS? You never know, it could make all the difference.

Refreshment

Last week myself and Mike unveiled a new-look BlastProcess.com. The changes have been explained in the post at this link. The biggest point was the change from Blogger.com to WordPress.com due to the extra bit of freedom it gave us. It also gave us multiple options to make the site look fresh and introduced a more 'professional' look.

Have a look around a let me know what you think. Hope you all like it!

I've had a busy old week however I am working on a piece with my thoughts about the Playstation 4 announcement. I'll post a link once its online, however for now I'll leave this link here summarising the event.

Just a few other links to share:

- Managed a couple of hours on Battlefield 3 with a few friends, of which one (thanks Chris!) decided to record a round. The result can be found on this post. It is something we are looking at doing more of in the future.

- I've also wrote a short piece regarding the full announcement of Destiny, Bungie's newest title.

- Finally, myself and Mike did a video review of Hauppaugue's latest PVR. It now records through a HDMI cable. For the full details check this link out. The video is also embedded in that post too.

Tuesday 5 February 2013

The Scale of EVE Online + Writing

I've always liked EVE.

Even though I have never been able to really devote the time it desires I still can't help but sit back in my chair and applaud it's achievements. It doesn't want to be 'Warcraft-in-Space', nor does consider going free to play. The term Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) game describes EVE perfectly, for it is massive.

The galaxy in which you fly around in is quite simply huge. In some cases flying from point A to point B could take hours. But for all its size your trip across space is never a lonely one, as for all the MMOs that have since dropped the pay monthly tradition in the hope of gaining more players by going free to play (with you instead paying for 'bits') EVE only instead continues to charge people to play the game monthly.

EVE takes dedication, but rewards those who persist. Large parts of the galaxy are controlled by player-led groups known as 'Corporations'. Some of these Corporations join together to form alliances. While small battles between players happen on an hourly basis, every now and then something huge kicks off. Can you imagine being part of that?

Image thanks to Eurogamer.net.
For all it's praises, with my busy lifestyle I've just never been able to really 'get into' EVE, but really enjoy watching some of my close friends playing it and reading about the ongoing activities in the game.

So, when I saw an indiegogo project involving EVE Online doing the rounds on the internet I felt it needed a closer look. A number of university students alongside a couple of videogame journalists are planning to create a documentary regarding EVE and it's community. I'm seriously tempted to donate to it, as I feel the end product could be well worth the slight investment.

Perhaps it would even encourage me to play more of EVE?

After seeking advice from within the gaming industry I've recently decided to take on a Creative Writing course in an effort to improve, well, my writing. While I'm finding the course is mainly aimed at story/poetry writers I'm still finding it informative. I have been promised that later in the course journalism/content more aimed towards me should show its head. It's certainly inspiring me anyway.

Thursday 31 January 2013

GTA and Violent Games

Quick! I don't have much time!

News has just broke (which then broke Twitter) regarding a release date for Grand Theft Auto V. All the POS that stated Spring were obviously based on a dream that they could get the game finished and out before the Summer. Sadly, this won't be the case, and further more could have a knock on effect with the next generation consoles which are likely to be announced at/just before E3 2013.

The full post, including Rockstar's official statement can be found here.

Another quick link to show you is this one. EA boss-man John Riccitiello has defended videogames in light of further comments from US Senators regarding violent games and the effect they have on children/adults. Sadly, as much as I'd like to blog further on this issue today I don't have the time (currently filming). However I did blog about this subject a few months ago, of which you can read here.

Defending violent games and a GTA V release date on the same day? Coincidence?

Tuesday 29 January 2013

Goodbye THQ

Sadly, the once-popular publisher THQ is no more.

As the events unfolded over on Twitter I started typing away. After some tweaks and rumour confirmation I was able to publish this post on Blast Process.

Although it'll be some time before deals are fully done, especially when it comes to IPs/licenses that are still in the balance (such as the WWE franchise and Darksiders).

The news was slightly counter-balanced by Nintendo announcing that Zelda: Wind Waker is to be fully remastered for the Wii U to provide Nintendo fans with a slice of Link before a brand new Wii U Zelda game. The Zelda news (including a trailer) can also be seen on the post linked above.

Monday 21 January 2013

LEGO and Pokemon

2013 is well and truly rolling!

As always I've got a few projects on going, however I have posted a couple of short news pieces. The first relating to NVIDIA's Project Shield, a new portable console while the second featured information on LEGO Marvel Super Heroes and Pokemon X/Y.

Thursday 3 January 2013

Happy New Year!!

Well, we survived the apocalypse. The Mayans, for now, have been defeated!

And so here we are in 2013. Did you all have an excellent Christmas and New Year? I sure did!

Last year was challenging for various reasons, but it's time to move forward. I've got more exciting projects upcoming this year, some of which I'm working towards right now.

I have just completed my first little piece of 2013 over on Blast Process, my Top 4 Games of 2012 (yeah, 4...couldn't decide on a 5th). Head over to the article via this link to see which games made the cut.