In addition to my earlier post - I came across a blog post by a Mr. Evan Stubbs where he talks about changes to games reviewing methodology.

It’s a good, concise read that I found myself nodding in agreement with. Worth a look if you’re into the games review scene.

Yep, I’m getting back into reviews. This is what happens when you approach the end of the year.

I’ll be revising the verdict system again and getting rid of the numbered scores, so it’ll back to the good ol’ days. It was interesting while it lasted, but I find myself disagreeing with my scores after I re-read the reviews. (I’ve also found that my writing style needs a lot more work.) So yeah, they’ll be removed from future write-ups.

Anyway, reviews for Borderlands and Assassin’s Creed 2 are incoming, so watch this space.

I just made a start on Assassin’s Creed 2 last night, and what everyone has been saying is more or less true - it is indeed a big improvement.

The opening sequences in the game give you a nice refresher on what’s been happening, and let you take your first few steps outside of that damned room and into a whole new…room. Damn it. That’s okay, though, because you’ll be spending most of your time jacked into the history of your DNA Matrix style, which happens to be set in Renaissance Italy this time around.

It does retain a lot of the same elements as before, like the free running races, collecting “feathers” (flags), and climbing up to viewpoints. It’s presentation, however, is a lot more fluid and less formulaic. There’s actually a story to follow this time, instead of following the same steps for 7-8 times (get upgrade, get sent somewhere, investigate, assassinate, escape). The end result is a little like GTA, with a main storyline to follow and sub-missions hanging off it.

As mentioned earlier, I’ve only made a start on it and just acquired my hidden blade. Can’t wait to pull off my first hit. And based on what I’ve read on Wikipedia there’s still a lot more depth to uncover.

Must play more.

I’m more of a “story” guy when to comes to games. Most RPGs tend to fit the bill, but it’s open to any genre, really. Max Payne and Homeworld, for example, are pretty good stories that are both in very different settings.

I only bring this up because I’m going through Modern Warfare 2, and I’m a bit puzzled.

The plot for Modern Warfare 2 does require you to…suspend disbelief throughout the game. Without giving too much away, the game has you cheating death multiple times, leaping over chasms, launching nukes for kicks, taking out bases full of soldiers without so much as a mag change, and fending off a lazy foreign invasion that appeared overnight.

It plays out like a Matthew Reilly novel (I’m expecting the wrist-mounted crossbows to make an appearance any time now). CoD4 toed the boundaries of plausibility. MW2, on the other hand, takes a flying leap over it. From what I’ve played so far, it really would not surprise me to see the “magical powers” angle or the “unexpected alien appearance” angle.

And, all things considered, I’d probably still keep playing anyway.

I come from a family that used to be pretty strict on the whole “entertainment” side of things.

My parents migrated here from Hong Kong with not much to work with. They started out working in kitchens and gradually worked their way up to a number of restaurants, a take away store and a catering business. For those of you unfamiliar with the glorious hospitality industry, restaurants are hard work - it’s physically and mentally draining, with long hours and tight margins.

Needless to say, there wasn’t much room for trivial things in our household like “games consoles”.

I wasn’t entirely deprived, though. The crowning glory of my formative gaming years would definitely have been my GameBoy Original. I was stoked, because whenever I asked for anything beyond a calculator, the response would usually be a firm “no” . My mum even made a list of conditions I had to fulfil before she would buy it, and I accepted them blindly just to get the damned thing. My dad condemned the idea, saying that I had been spoiled rotten, and that my future was as good as gone. It was like I was given a pound of crack cocaine or something.

I reckon I haven’t turned out too badly.

But I guess their fears were confirmed - I played that thing within an inch of its life. I snuck in as much time as I could into that humble little machine. Before it came along, whenever I went to friend’s places I would always be so incredibly envious of their gaming gear. Their beastly 486s compared to my pokey Tandy TL-1000, their Mega Drives and their SNESes compared to my…nothing. At the time all I had was my GameBoy, and it was good.

(And before you think, “Why don’t you get a paper route or something and make your own money, you leech”, I was obligated to work for my parents. Gratis. Doesn’t leave much time for real work.)

They knew they made a mistake, too. They saw me playing and feared for my future (as most Asian parents do). They hid my precious GameBoy everywhere they could - on top of cupboards, in linen closets, in saucepans and under beds. I would spend a good amount of time going through the house just to find it and get my fix of 5 minutes more. Just 5 minutes more.

Getting a new computer only made matters worse. Remember when you could lock computers with a key? They locked me out of the family computer. Again, I would hunt for the key all over the house. I think I even went so far as to try picking at the lock.

Now that I am gainfully employed, I have a suitably powerful PC and a 360 with a nice selection of titles, as well as a DSLite for the train. I’m considering getting a PS3 on top of this as well.

I feel like I’m making up for lost time in my youth, but at the same time I’m kinda glad that I was kept in line. I doubt that I’d have any less love for games now than I would if I were spoilt rotten. Hell, I reckon I can appreciate them more for what they are instead of whining about slipped release dates and such.

So, to all those parents that are holding out on their kids - you’re most likely doing the right thing by them in the end. Just keep in mind that we’re going to spite you for it once we get our first pay slip.

Before the onslaught of new titles that came out recently, I’d been busying myself with Arcade titles.

I don’t know if there’s some kind of Facebook quiz out there that suggests I’m a raging limp-wrist for doing so, but in my defence these games are fucking great.

Shadow Complex tells the story of an everyday guy (that conveniently has a military background) that gradually turns into a power-suited, super-shotgun wielding, grenade flinging, kung-fu fighting mean motherfucker of God. Sure, it’s hefty at 1200 MS points, but I’m vaporising soldiers, for fuck’s sake. I can think of activities that are far less rewarding.

Then there’s Ikaruga, which is turning my hair grey. It’s like the game itself is mocking me, laughing at my pitiful attempts to dodge bullets and change polarities in time, flooding the screen with energy beams and tiny bullets, and crushing me with moving platforms. It’s one of the few games that I actually have to focus and try to connect with the game, and feel my eyes gradually dry out as a result.

I suppose since we’re here, we may as well as throw Geometry Wars 2 in the mix. For a game that blinds me with pretty lights, thousands of particles and floods of enemies, it’s still just as addictive as the day I purchased it. I recently played versus mode with a couple of other SOGC admins, and hilarity ensued as we stole geoms from each other, bated each other into enemies, and cheated death as many times as we could to try and take first place. It’s going to take me a while before I start making an appearance on my leaderboards, though…

Speaking of multiplayer, Rocket Riot and Castle Crashers are regular titles that appear on our games rotation among the admins. I think the appeal with these games is that while they are co-operative titles on the surface, there is still a sense of rivalry and every-man-for-themselves. I couldn’t count the number of times I’ve copped a rocket in the face from someone else’s wild firing in Rocket Riot, or how often I had to fight other players for scraps of gold in Castle Crashers. There is a cruel irony in the description “co-op”.

So yes - all in all, I’m rather pleased with the state of the “casual” games market. The calibre and quality of these games is well above expectations. The barriers to entry are fairly low, which means that anyone with patience, persistence and a good idea can follow through and potentially make millions.

And it’s refreshing to take a break from games that take themselves a little too seriously. I find it tiring to be continually inundated with ads and marketing campaigns, trying to convince me that this fourth sequel is so much better than the previous three. It’s nice to open up Steam and see a new title featured on the front page, with some simple artwork and a low price.

Hell, I haven’t even talked about PC and PS3 casual titles.

So, I’m back.

I’ve been busy with work (55-60 hour weeks can’t be wrong) and I’ve also been busy with the SOGC. Drama abound.

There won’t be as many reviews coming (hell, there probably won’t be as many posts coming) but I need a place to keep my game-related musings and rants.

We’ll see how long this lasts.