Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (300 Words)

My favourite game of all time has to be Sonic the Hedgehog two, from the ever popular Sonic the Hedgehog game series. A fun well packed game that created hours of enjoyment for me and my friends as we played it at a younger age.

Sonic the Hedgehog the flagship character and mascot for SEGA a games developer and former console producer, has appeared in over forty games. The Sonic character and his friends like Tails and Knuckles were created by Naoto Ohshima in Japan as a replacement for SEGA’s former mascot Alex Kidd. Over the years the Sonic character as built a large franchise ranging from television, comic books, game books, novels and other paper based media not forgetting the games of course.

Released on the SEGA MEGA DRIVE in 1992 Sonic must fight Dr Ivo Robotnik in order to save his friend Tails from kidnap. With seven zones to complete Sonic must make his way though each one by collected gems and coins. Not forgetting the many different villains and bosses that plague the different zones

The graphics are in the traditional 2D format with an impressive sound track for each level. The control system that the game operates under can be rather uncomfortable using the SEGA MEGA DRIVE controller. But I am sure that the recent release of the early Sonic games on the Sony Playstation 2 and Microsoft Xbox will dissolve this problem with their more comfortable controllers.

Although this game is now considered to be a retro game, I believe that it is still capable of entertaining a younger audience against the new improved games of today. As for the older audience Sonic will have a place in there hearts along with Mario of course as these two game characters were apart of their childhood.

Bone: Out from Boneville (200 Words)

The latest game to be demonstrated on www.telltalegames.com is Jeff Smiths Bone: Out from Boneville. The first episode in a soon to be series of stories about Bone and his adventures, that are to be released at a future date. This is surly an exciting new game for all to enjoy no matter what age they may be.

The game begins with a short video which explains recent events in their lives. Here is where are game begins. With impressive 3D graphics in a cartoon style format and good quality back ground sounds to set the mood, not to mention the voice over’s for each individual character you talk to. Your task is to find objects around the play area that will be put to good use later on in the game. Not forgetting talking to other characters to find out information about the area you are in as well as other useful information to precede further though the game.

From the demo version which I played I found this game a delight to play and would seriously consider buying the full version to see where the game takes me next.

For those wishing to try this game visit:

http://www.telltalegames.com/products?pc=bn0102&CID=0&dlact=1

The Pointlessness of Videogame Journalism (168 Words)

Trying to write in the way that David Jaffe wrote his post, I am writing this review very late at one o’clock in the morning. The review “The Pointlessness of Videogame Journalism” by Aaron McKenna brings forward some very good points about the state of videogames journalism today.

I thought that the review was well structured and makes a statement that games journalism is getting worse each day. His thoughts demonstrate that publishers of magazines and even websites are creating false hopes of a fantastic game with there previews only to detest the game once released.

Although some reviews and even previews if more that two sentences that is, are written well. But many of them still seem to be brown nosing to the game developers in order to gain exclusives to future games. But as for the state of current games journalism there is still a lot of improvements needed, before writers such as Aaron McKenna and David Jaffe begin to have faith in videogames journalism again.

Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space (304 Words)

Established in 1998 by the CMP Game Group (producer of Game Developer Magazine, Gamesutra.com and Game Developers Conference). The IGF was set up to encourage innovation in game development and to recognize the best independent game developers. Running every year for eight years the Independent Games Festival gives away cash prizes to the best games that are created. Once of the game in the running for this years prize is Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space, created by Digital Eel.

Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space starts with a meeting explaining you have a set period to search the galaxies in hope of many treasures. As your spaceship glides though space from galaxy to galaxy your time limit shortens in days and years. At each planet there car many treasure to be found and collected. However there are also other spaceships that try to destroy you. At the end of the mission you must end back at your starting planet to hand over the treasures

The games graphics are designed to give a space age feel in a 2D world.

Keeping with a Space theme the sounds within the game are set to be futuristic with the sound of lasers and other weird screeching sounds. When all combined these sounds help to enlighten the game and give the player an environment of that would be expected if a Space explorer, after watching the Star Wars movies.

After several attempts at the demo version that I played I found Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space a little frustrating at time. An example of this would be when attacked by other spaceships and not being able to defend myself. Apart form that and a few other annoying things I believe this game won the write to become a finalist at the seventh annual independent games festival.

Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (219 Words)

The latest release from Rockstar Games arrives - Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories -from the popular Grand Theft Auto series. GTA: Liberty City Stories with its Grand Theft Auto 3 template comes to the Sony PSP.

Keeping the popular format of previous games, the game has a mission structure that many GTA gamers will recognise. The missions within the game have become much shorter and many more side missions added, to make for a more enjoyable game. The characters within the game are developed as the game progresses, whilst giving an insight to the early life of those that appear in GTA 3.

As with all Grand Theft Auto titles, the graphics within the game are pretty much the same except for a few minor changes within them. Using the cartoon with realism style, the graphical content is, as always, backed up by impressive sound. Good use is also made of the different sounds for engines whether it is a bike, boat or car. The different gun fire sounds from the many weapons also add to the enjoyment. Not forgetting, the mega soundtrack available from the vehicles’ radio stations.

Although there are a few flaws that need fixing, the latest game in the series is a fantastic game to play. A well recommended game for the Sony PSP.

Mutant Storm (45 Words)

Mutant Storm is a fun packed game with retro sounds and old school graphics that will bring hours of enjoyment. Although the control system takes some getting used to, I found this game to be quite enjoyable and would recommend it as an office pastime.

Blog Questions

1. When was the last time you backed up the material on your blog?

• I always back up my material that I write on my computers hard drive and in a folder especially for games reviewing on my flash drive.

2. Do You Feel Lucky?

• I didn’t understand this question so I couldn’t answer it. Although it did remind me of a infamous quote by Clint Eastwood from the movie Dirty Harry.

Meta-Review of GUN (433 Words)

One of the latest games to hit the shelves this past month is GUN by Activision and Neversoft Entertainment. A first person, action, adventure game that has been causing a commotion in the gaming world. As I have not seen the game and only heard mixed comments, I choose to read three reviews on the game.

Greg Kasavin wrote the first review that I read on the Game Spot website http://www.gamespot.com. This review of GUN I believe is a little to long, although each paragraph are detailed. As with all reviews, we are introduced to the main story of the game, before other areas are covered such as gameplay, graphics and problems. As you read though the review we are told that, there are similarities to television shows and films such as Deadwood and The Good the Bad and The Ugly. The general missions and extra missions are described in detail as well as the differences between each console game. As this review ends, the reviewer sums up his review by informing us of his personal feeling about the game.

Will Tuttle wrote the second review that I read on the Game Rankings website http://www.gamerankins.com. The review begins explaining how western games have not yet taken off in the games market and introduces GUN as the latest title to attempt the market. The next paragraph of the review continues to explain the main story of the game before explaining the general gameplay. In the following paragraphs, the reviewer goes onto explain the areas available, extra missions, the targeting system and problems that the game has. Before ending with a brief summary of how he likes the game and complements the games developers on their work.

Jim Weber wrote the third review that I read on the Gamezilla website http://www.gamezilla.com. The first paragraph begins by stating how much he liked the game and compares it to a similar gameplay to that of Grand Theft Auto. The review then goes onto explain, the gameplay as a summary before explaining how he thinks the sounds within the game are realistic. As the review commences problems within the game are mentioned before ending on a positive note by suggesting the side missions for a better gameplay.

After reading those reviews, I would put some serious consideration into purchasing the game for myself. What is explained in these reviews should answer any questions that anyone may have about the game. Therefore, for all you parents out there who are looking for a computer game to keep the kids happy and quiet over Christmas I strongly recommend this game.

New Games Journalism (233 Words)

There are many articles out there in our twisted media world that centre around the newest term in games writing; New Games Journalism. Unlike traditional games reviews (“Old Games Journalism”) which focuses on the graphics, gameplay, interface and control. New Games Journalism focuses on the player experiences within the game such as interactions with other players, real-world events and any other personal experiences.

There are many articles that are written in what’s known as New Games Journalism. Well respected authors such as Jim Rossingnol and Kieran Gillen have written there option on this new style of writing. The Guardian broadsheet newspaper even makes reference to New Games Journalism even producing links to other articles on the subject. This shows that another style of writing is appearing just like gonzo did many years ago.

So what can we expect from New Games Journalism in the future. I believe that in time this new age style of journalism will eventually creep its way into on the shelf magazine articles. Starting in cheaper magazines like Games Master and Play, eventually in some form in more respectful magazines such as EDGE and GAMES TM. Even though in my opinion I do think that New Games Journalism will appear in magazine articles I think that it will take a back seat as the main body of the review will still be in the traditional style (“Old School Journalism”).