PS4 rumored to be in the works for 2012

Link to article

My opinion
This is obviously great news for playstation 3 owners like me and to be honest I'm not surprised that they are possibly going to finally bring out the PS4 after the PS3 having been out for five years. The thing I worry about though is that maybe some playstation users might have already got bored of waiting for this console to come out so by the time it is out they might have already switched to the xbox 360. I personally can't wait for it but of course like many people I'm going to have to wait for a few years before I have enough money to get it.

More Skyrim patches coming soon

Link to article

My Opinion
Obviously there are good and bad sides to this patch coming out. The good side is that now either the lagging will be completely fixed or it won't be as bad as it was so now people can actually play the game without wanting to throw the thing out the window. However, the bad side to this is that now this patch is out it turns out it has caused yet more problems for skyrim, I'll admit that the problems are not as bad as the lagging issue but they are bad enough to frustrate even the most cool and collected gamer's. Although Bethesda games have promised to keep the patches coming and make sure they don't cause more harm than good I doubt that this promise will be kept simply because Bethesda are known for their complete and utter uselessness when it comes to fixing games! Hopefully when I get Skyrim the whole thing will be completely fixed and I won't have to rant about the game any longer! considering some magazines said that this was going to be the game of the year so far I am very disappointed.

WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 Review

Summary

Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 is one of many in the WWE franchise. it is developed by Yuke’s media creations and published by THQ. I would say it is very similar to any other WWE game. You can create your own characters, storylines and you can play the road to wrestle mania mode just like in 2009 and 2010, however, in 2011 you have a new mode called WWE universe mode which is basically just the same as picking a match type and playing it, the only difference is whatever you do has consequences for example if I was Triple H and I had the WWE championship and the number one contender for that championship was John Cena, he might come and attack me after one of my matches.

Gameplay (Single Player)

I have to say the gameplay in this game is very slick and fast paced. You can tell that Yuke’s has made some drastic changes to the game that seem to be all for the better. The only downside to this years Smackdown vs. Raw game is the fact that unless you set up your multiplayer (which I’ll get to in a minute) then you will get bored rather quickly after completing all of the road to wrestlemania modes because in WWE universe it just sort of repeats itself over and over again! other than that the single player is pretty awesome.

 

New game modes

Like I said in the summary, Yuke’s have made some pretty drastic changes and added new modes into the game this year. The first change in the game is the revamped road to wrestlemania mode. This year instead of just going back to a still image of your locker room each time you finish a match or cut-scene you go backstage and get to roam around, the feature is alright but the thing that kept on bothering me about this game is the fact that all you can basically do is walk around picking fights with other wrestlers, speak to the general manager when he/she wants to talk to you and the only time you can go out to the ring is when you have your match.

The next big change that you will notice is the new WWE universe mode which like I said in the summary is just a new way of picking your matches or having the computer pick them for you and whatever you do has consequences. The most annoying part of this game mode is the fact that the only you can unlock characters is by Mr McMahon coming out of at the end of your match and sending another wrestler out and if you beat them (which is very likely if you have it on easy) you unlock them this happens a lot when you first start the game and I found this very tedious to go through. 

 Gameplay (Multiplayer)

This year for the multiplayer section of the game, you had to put in a one time use code to activate the service which you should get on the back of the instruction manual. NOTE: YOU CAN ONLY USE THIS CODE OUNCE! SO MAKE SURE TO BUY A BRAND NEW COPY OF THE GAME NOT A PREOWNED COPY! I found this annoying after using my code I started to play the multiplayer and found that it was really laggy, now, I know this might have been the connection speed of the match host’s console however it could just have likely been the game itself therefore I only played about two online matches.

Graphics

No matter how much I have bashed the actual gameplay of this game I have to say the graphics are great! the wrestlers look more life like than ever and I was really taken-aback at how much effort Yuke’s had gone to make this game look as real as possible so thumbs up to them for that!

Sound effects and music

As I am a musician as well as a gamer, this is a huge part in any game for me. I have to say that the sound effects sound really realistic unlike 2010 where the sound effects got delayed. The in-game music is obviously going to be decent. However, as well as having the in-game music this year you had the option of uploading your own music from your playstation music section. I loved the idea of this at first but when I actually uploaded  a song to use for my created wrestler the music drowned out the crowd noise and the voice of the ring announcer, this really took me out of the game to be honest.

Final opinion

My final rating for this game is 6/10. although the game was a huge improvement on Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 it still had it’s downsides.

 

Battlefield 3 ships 12 million copies

Link to article

My opinion
This is great news for EA and battlefield fans because this means that there is likely to be more games added to the franchise in the future. For ounce I honestly think EA are actually more ahead of the game than Activision (Never thought I would say that) if you don't want to read the article listen to my podcast for the audio version plus my opinion. 

Skyrim PS3 lag still an issue after patch

Link to article

My Opinion
Considering the news about the petition to ban skyrim in the U.S. I read on the podcast last week I still can't believe that there is still more bad news to do with this game! this news has actually really annoyed me and made me consider not even getting the game because of this exact issue. I mean, lets be honest here, if you are going to send out a patch to "fix" and issue with a game then you would think that the patch would actually do what it was set out to do! instead it looks to me that this patch has made the game worse! if I do get this game I will be sure to mention this and the petition in my review when or rather if I complete the game.

Call of duty: World at war review

Storyline

Call of Duty World at war is one of 2 call of duty games set away from the modern warfare franchise and is developed by Treyarch and published by Activision. There are two main characters that you play throughout the game Private Miller and private Petranko, Private Miller is a U.S. Navy soldier fighting the Japanese army and Private Petranko is a Russian red army soldier fighting the Germans.

Gameplay (Single Player)

The gameplay is very slick and when I played it I didn’t notice any glitches or moments of freezing during the game. Also, the characters are very life like and believable considering it came out in 2008. Some of the levels are a bit too short and it could have been more beneficial for some of the levels to be combined that involved the same main character. However, sometimes the rest of your team would get in the way and would be a hindrance rather than a help. I also found that both main characters stories started off the same way weapon less and surrounded by the enemy which I must admit was a little disappointing considering how well the game was hyped on release.

Weapons

On the weapons side of things it was a lot better and kind of showed me what the weapons were like in World War 2 which is where the game was set. My favourite weapons were probably the bayonet, deployable machine gun and flame thrower because they delivered the most damage to the enemy and therefore gave me the most satisfaction.

Graphics

The graphics in world at war are very impressive and look very realistic. It actually made me feel like I was in a real war!

Gameplay (Multiplayer and zombies)

In world at war Treyarch introduced a new element to the game called Nazi zombies which is unlocked at the end of the game. This is probably the hardest part in the game; it certainly caused me the most stress! For those that haven’t played world at war before Nazi zombies starts off with you just having a pistol and you can buy guns with the money you earn from killing zombies and rebuilding barriers, there is also a room that can be unlocked that contains a “Random Box” which as you probably guessed by the name gives you a random weapon (Some good, some bad) Zombies is by far the most enjoyable part of the game. The online multiplayer is obviously a huge part of the game but to be honest I don’t think it lived up to the expectations set by Call of duty 4 so I didn’t really play a lot of it sorry.

Final opinion

My final opinion of this game is that it is OK but not as good as I thought it would be after playing Call of duty 4 to be honest I didn’t think that call of duty’s standards would go down but seeing as it wasn’t developed by infinity Ward I wasn’t really that surprised.

I rate this game 7/10

Petition created to ban the elder scrolls V skyrim in the U.S.

Petition to ban elder scrolls V skyrim

I have just found an article on PCmag.com stating that some idiot has decided to create a petition to ban the latest elder scrolls game skyrim in the U.S.! I find this appalling and hilarious at the same time because how can some random man decide to ruin the united states gaming experience just because of some controversial scenes in a video game! what gives him the right to do that? I mean lets be honest there are a lot of other games that are a lot more controversial games that he could have gone for like grand theft auto 4 and the airport scene in call of duty: Modern Warfare 2. but of course he decided to try and ban a 15 rated game just to get some stupid media attention! I will be getting skyrim when I get a chance and intend to complete the game no matter how long it is. if you want the audio version of this opinion listen to Gary's Gamer podcast episode 25 

Got any comments on this article leave them at the bottom of this post or email me at gary.cunningham190@googlemail.com

Peace out guys and for the second time today

Happy Gaming

Gazza

New Rainbow six game coming in 2013

Rainbow six developers have said that they are working on a new rainbow six 2 sequel due for release in 2013. They have decided to call the game rainbow six patriots, news of the games arrival had already been leaked on the internet according to developers Ubisoft Montreal and Ubisoft Toronto, however this doesn't matter to fans of the Tom Clancy games because they have been waiting a long time. I think that 2013 is a little late and it should be bought out in 2012. Surely it would be a little bit out of order to keep the fans of the game waiting so long? the game will come out on Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC.

I haven't completed Rainbow Six Vegas two yet so when the game does come out it looks like I'm going to be one of the last people to get it although as it's coming out in 2013 I should have enough time to finish it. hopefully!

Don't forget to listen to episode 25 for more in depth coverage and opinion on this news

Peace out and happy gaming.

Gazza

Another review coming your way soon

Yet again I must apologize for my long absence over the last few months but I have been very busy with my music. To make it up to you though I am going to be working on another review over the next few days. I have recently recorded episode 24 of Gary's Gamer Podcast but because I have changed my podcast server I need to upload all of the other episodes onto the new server and it is taking forever but as soon as that's done I'll have episode 24 and 25 up on there too because I'm going to do that over the weekend.

Peace out and happy gaming as always
Gazza

Uncharted 3: Drakes deception painfully long loading times

It turns out that the highly anticipated uncharted 3 Drakes deception has hit a very big brick wall. It turns out that some people that have bought the game have been complaining about the game taking too long to load! Some people have even said that ounce the game has finally loaded the level hasn't actually loaded properly so Drake spawns in an odd place.

I am so annoyed at this news! I mean if you promote a game as well as naughty dog (the developers) have then you would expect for problems and glitches like this to be non existent! I am really disappointed that this game of all games is the one that has problems that basically makes gamer's unable to play the game. However, the most annoying thing about this is the fact that both uncharted 1 and 2 didn't have any problems like this!

Hopefully naughty dog sort out this problem pretty sharpish otherwise they are going to lose a lot of money on this game.

My podcast will be back over the weekend maybe sooner!

Hi guys, I know I haven't been posting in absolutely ages I have been really busy with my music and school work and the podcast and blog has slipped my mind but I promise you that there will be a new episode of the podcast up by the weekend. my podcast provider has changed www.garysgamerpodcast1.podbean.com because my old one is shutting down. 

First thoughts on blur

Sorry I haven't been posting podcasts or articles very often, I have been very busy with my musical life. Blur arrived and I have been giving it ago and I have to say it's pretty awsome! This is the first racing game I have actually owned on PS3 and I have to say I am very impressed with the use of power ups and I have also found that when I go around corners I don't have to break at all it will just drift you round the corner and back onto a straight track. Keep watching the blog and the podcast for more updates

PSN finally back online but for how long?

Earlier today Sony announced that playstation network is back online but just hours after being back online Sony had to shut it down again because so many people logged on but it is back online now. The only problem is that you can't get access to the Playstation Store yet and surprisingly I have not seen any evidence of the promised one month free playstation plus service! obviously I am glad that the service is back online but I am a bit disappointed that they haven't actually brought every single service back online! I would rather they have waited a bit longer and brought everything online rather than brought it up early for customer satisfaction incomplete! listen to episode 22 of Gary's Gamer Podcast this weekend for more info!

Peace out guys and happy gaming
Gazza

Podcast alley feed validation. ( Readers ignore this)

My Podcast Alley feed! {pca-53e55aaedf2a2855ee62e1f9f0d5c9e9}

Gary's Gamer Podcast episode 21

Here is the link to the latest episode of Gary's Gamer Podcast. hopefully Jake will be on the podcast again next week.

Gary's Gamer Podcast episode 21 - saints row 3, PSN update, fifa 12 and other news

007 Bloodstone Review

Storyline
007 bloodstone is the latest game in the James Bond Series and is the 24th James bond game to be made and it is a third person shooter which is different from the previous James Bond game Quantum of Solace. Bloodstone is one of the first James Bond game not to be connected to a film. The game starts off in Athens Greece where you are called in to stop a terrorist from planning a suicide bombing at the G20 photo shoot. The next morning you are called in to investigate a missing scientist.

Gameplay
The gameplay is very different from Quantum of solace however I prefer it the way it is in Bloodstone because things run a lot more smoothly the only let down to the smoothness of the game is the loading between cut scenes and missions. Bizzare studios have also introduced a new takedown system, instead of pressing L3 and then pressing one of the other buttons to complete the takedown all you need to do now is press the square button.

Not only have they introduced the revamped takedown system they have also introduced something called focus aim which is bit like the one shot kill system used in Splinter Cell: Conviction. In my opinion this helps the game but I do find it a little unrealistic at times. The new driving dynamics in Bloodstone is absolutely astonishing the realism of it all is amazing you really feel like your driving down the road yourself!

Graphics
The Graphics in Bloodstone are astonishing the characters are much more life like than in quantum of solace and the actual environments look amazing even the guns look real. everything looks so real in fact, that you could quite easily be in the game yourself.

Music
Now this is not something I would usually talk about in a review and most certainly not in an action game but for this title in particular I am going to make an exception because it is just amazing! The way all the instruments merge together to make a certain atmosphere is just incredible!

Screenshots
Here is a screenshot from Bloodstone:

Final thoughts
My final rating for 007 Bloodstone is 10/10 and trust me if I could go any higher I would!


  

Who is to blame for Playstation Network getting hacked?

Playstation Network has been down for at least two weeks now and Sony have been constantly updating there blog with apoligies and plans, however the strange thing is that Sony have been saying they are going to do stuff to stop the hack and they haven't actually done anything other than say that when or if Playstation Network comes back online they will offer a free one  month trial of the Playstation Plus service but personally I don't see the point of it because not many people will actually use it!

Now we have to answer the question who is to blame for all of this? We have a few options to choose from

• Anonymous ( The group that hacks loads of companies)
• Sony ( The developers of the |PS3 and Playstation Network)
• Sony security company ( They provided the actual sercurity for the PS3)

Who do you think is to blame? comment below for your opinions or email gary.cunningham190@googlemail.com

Don't forget to listen to the podcast for even more info on this.

Happy Gaming guys

Yet another ps3 hack update

As I reported late last year playstation network has officially been hacked. it is believed that it has been hacked by a group calling themselves anonymous and their spokesperson said " we have hacked the playstation 3 system because we believe that we have a right to speak out" the hack that anonymous have performed what they call a denial service attack of DSA which overloads the server for playstation network with requests forcing it to shut down.  A Sony entertainment spokesperson allegedly insisted that " The system would only be down for a day or two" unfortunately this was was not the case.

Unsurprisingly, on the anonymous blog the group denied any responsibility for this hack and claimed that " If another group like us has decided to act then that's their decision and we did not do anything to disturb the playstation 3 system"

More info will be shared when it becomes available to me.  

Alpha protocol: should the critics have given it more of a chance?

Alpha protocol is the first espionage RPG to be developed. it was developed by SEGA and created by obsidian entertainment, even though SEGA are a successful and recognized game developing company best known for the development of the sonic the hedgehog games a lot of the game critics gave very low scores to their first RPG attempt Alpha Protocol, in my opinion didn't give Alpha Protocol a chance. I am currently playing through Alpha Protocol for the first time and from the first bit of action in the game I said to myself "This game is going to be good" I going to be honest when I got stuck on hacking the computer I did have a slight change of heart but I'm telling you now the more further I got into the game the more I enjoyed it. so in my opinion I think that the critics should have given this game a decent chance to prove itself then we might have seen a second Alpha protocol this year!

Garys gamer Podcast - Episode 19 shownotes

http://www.game.co.uk/News/Nintendo-3DS-nets-record-breaking-launch-numbers/~cA_15750/?pagetype=content

http://www.game.co.uk/News/Max-Payne-3-to-be-most-sophisticated-entry-yet/~cA_15743/?pagetype=content

http://www.game.co.uk/News/The-Sims-3-Generations-expansion-pack-announced/~cA_15744/?pagetype=content

http://www.game.co.uk/News/Ninja-Gaiden-3-to-feature-complex-multiplayer/~cA_15742/?pagetype=content

Gary's gamer podcast - episode 18 shownotes and podcast

Gary's Gamer Podcast- Latest gaming news and charts

Links to articles 


Saints row 3 coming in Christmas 2011 http://www.game.co.uk/News/Saints-Row-The-Third-coming-for-Christmas-2011/~cA_15570/?pagetype=content

Gears of war 3 BETA access with GAME preorders http://www.game.co.uk/News/Gears-of-War-3-beta-access-with-GAME-preorders/~cA_15575/?pagetype=content


Kinect leaps past 10 million sales http://www.game.co.uk/News/Kinect-for-Xbox-360-leaps-past-ten-million-sales/~cA_15604/?pagetype=content


Deus ex human revolution set for august 2011 debut  http://www.game.co.uk/News/Deus-Ex-Human-Revolution-set-for-Aug-2011-debut/~cA_15597/?pagetype=content

More reviews in the works

Hi guys,

Just letting you know that on my new review blog www.garysgamingreviews.wordpress.com there will be loads of reviews but there will also be review on here as well for those of you who prefer it.

Happy Gaming
Gazza

UFC undisputed 2009 first thoughts

Latest Podcast episode

Here is the link to the latest episode of Gary's Gamer Podcast
Gary's Gamer Podcast - episode 17 - Latest Gaming news and charts

Ps3 hack update

Yesterday a spokesman for Sony computer entertainment said that Sony have issued a warning to all of those people who have hacked the ps3 that whoever has hacked the ps3 will have their playstation network account suspended with immeadiate effect.

As you can tell sony are taking the same approach that Microsoft have taken toasted this problem and basicslly banning any hackers for as long as they see fit.

Assassins Creed II review

Assassins Creed II Review

Summary

Assassin’s creed II is the second game in the assassin’s creed franchise. You play as master Assassin Ezio auditore, at the beginning of the game you start off as a young Ezio and you do lots of jobs for your Father and sister until you eventually get your assassins suit and weapons.

Gameplay

At the beginning of the game I found it a little bit boring because you couldn’t really do a lot but when you get your assassins suit and weapons it gets a lot better because the storyline revolves around you getting your revenge on the templar’s for killing your family, some of the missions are kind of pointless and I didn’t really like the use of side missions because it takes you away from the main storyline and kind of ruins the moment.

Graphics

The graphics in this game are astonishing! The characters in the game are so lifelike and the buildings look really authentic and realistic, you can definitely tell that Ubisoft put a lot of time and effort into this particular game and had their researchers go over every last detail of every game location.

Storyline

The storyline of Assassins creed is really compelling because every moment you are playing the game you are fighting someone or getting some new weapons from Leonardo De Vinci! However, at the very beginning of the game it is kind of confusing because you are playing as Desmond miles who is training to be an Assassin. The only thing I can criticise is the camera which can be really annoying sometimes because it go all over the place.

Final opinion

I rate this game 9/10.

By Gary Cunningham 

New Halo Reach Map back due out next month

Halo Reach fans will be able to do battle accross a whole new bunch of arenas next month via a new DLC back for halo reach.

Developers Bungie and certain affinity have teamed up to make the definate map pack, a set of 3 new multiplayer levels for use in firefight and standard team deathmatch modes.

The first of these, condemmed, allows players to compete on a ruined space station called Obital station Gamma, while highland offers a tactical battle in a woodland training ground.

Meanwhile, Unearthed is a firefight orientateed map set in a large titanium mine and provides another location in which to play game types such as generation defence.

Halo reach came out in October 2010 and proved to be a blockbuster commercial success, as well as bcoming the highest rated shooter of the year.

The game is an epic prequel to the popular halo sc-fi saga and is also creator bungie's last game in the series.

Many people hyped about Homefront

 Many people are hyped about a new first person shooter called homefront, The game is about North Korea taking over America and you play as the Americans and have to get control of America again. The game is expected out on 18th March 2011, Many people are expecting Homefront to be a contender for Call of Duty 8 but no body knows when Cod 8 is going to be out yet. Stay tuned to the podcast for more news. Here is an interview:

Interview with Homefronts lead designer at E3 2010

Activision to stop making guitar hero games!

Activision are planning to stop making the acclaimed music simulation series guitar hero which has been in the works for around 4 years. Before rockband came along it was probably the most played music simulation game on all consoles. Many people are not happy to hear this news and have said that they would have rather seen rockband go. Stay tuned for more news in the podcast

Red dead redemption and mass effect 2 lead GDC award nominations

Two of the biggest games of 2010, Red dead redemption and mass effect two are among the games to receive the games developers choice awards 2011. The two titles received more votes than any other retail - released game ahead of the prestigious award ceremony, which is voted on by industry professionals and creative minds.

Rockstar's open world xbox 360 and playstation 3 game red dead redemption led the pack with six nominations, including one for game of the year, while it also featured in best graphics, audio, writing, technology and game design categories.

 Meanwhile, BioWare's spacefaring title Mass Effect 2 followed up its Ultimate Game of the Year win at the 2010 Golden Joystick Awards by scoring five nominations.

It was included in the shortlists for best game, audio, technology, game design and writing.

The developers will learn if their game has emerged victorious when the winners are announced in San Francisco on March 2nd 2011.

Ps3 finally hacked?

On 3rd January 2011 it was announced that ps3 had been hacked. According to Sony, the hack is so powerful that the hack can't be fixed and he hackers can now right their own firmware updates for the ps3, not only has the hacker actually managed to hack the ps3 after four years, he has also posted a copy of the hacking software on the Internet for other people to use! For more information listen to the next episode of Gary's gamer podcast tommorow.