Uncharted 4: Multiplayer Beta

My Impressions

Out with the old in with the old

Uncharted hasn't changed much over the years. Its stayed true to the premise of "If it aint broke don't fix it" which is good since a lot of games have fallen on their respective swords for over complicating a simple idea. When I booted up the Uncharted 4 Multiplayer a lot of things seemed familiar. The combat system, the precarious jumps off platforms that result in death, the load times between finding a lobby and frustratingly shouting at the TV you know, the good stuff. 

Except the thing is Uncharted 4 has changed. Though not significantly. First and foremost is the edition of an Indiana Jones-esque rope hook which allows you to traverse stages, quickly closing the gap between you and the enemy. New to the multiplayer scene is the ability to use artifacts called mystical's which can dramatically change battles, with some mystical's slowing down enemies and others spawning a coffin full of vengeful spirits.

New grenade types means that players can now think more tactically about battles, placing some C4 in a hidden spot to really mess with the more overconfident players or tossing a smoke bomb to get some much needed cover from a less than convenient fire fight. These features add up to make a new multiplayer experience without truly sacrificing what made Uncharted multiplayer good in the first place.

I see great things in our future kid, great, great things


If the beta is anything to go off of then I am sure that Uncharted is heading in the right direction, everything I saw in it was positive and while it took some getting used to the new features added to the whole extremely well. Points in Uncharted 4's favour are that almost all of the weapons are balanced there is no weapon that spells doom as soon as you see it, giving an equal chance to everyone. 

Mystical's can easily change the flow of battle but they also work to counter each other as well the spirit of the djinn for instance can make you quicker eliminating the power of Indra's eternity. Each Mystical is beneficial and its always nice to see what each one will do. 

Sidekicks bring a new level of tactical thinking to the virtual battlefield making either stalwart mini gun tooting badasses or insanely fast hunters appear to give you a hand. Sidekicks can really help you rack up the points and put the pressure on the enemy. 


Final Thoughts

Overall I am impressed by Uncharted 4, there is no doubt in my mind that it will make a good conclusion to the series and seeing as there is some rather large foreshadowing going on it seems likely that this is the literal end for one of our beloved characters. 

One of the best features of both Uncharted 2 and 3 was their multiplayer, many a night would I spend on Uncharted 2 multiplayer seeing as it was in my opinion one of the better versions. So its good to see the return of decent, well rounded multiplayer. None of this random player has been targeted garbage. 

While I wouldn't say that Uncharted 4's multiplayer is revolutionary I would say that it brings some good changes to the formula without making everything too complex. 

All that we have left now of course is to wait. Wait for the Thief's end. 

Uncharted: Nathan Drake Collection 

Sic Parvis Magna 

The Uncharted series is a monumental journey in all sense's of the word. Engaging characters, clear cut villains, mystic plots, plot twists its got it all. To say that this is an essential title for any would be playstation fan, nay a fan of action adventure games as a whole, would be a disservice for Uncharted has proven without a shadow of a doubt that it has fought tooth and nail to earn a place among the greats and I for one am all to happy to recommend it to anyone seeking a fantastic gaming experience. Never has the phrase Sic Parvis Magna meant so much, as Uncharted really did become great from a small beginning. Lets find out why.

Uncharted: Drakes Fortune 

A good opening is necessary for a lot of things in life. A good opening joke on your best man speech, A good opening in a song to define it among others and will have the melody stuck in your head. If Uncharted has proven anything its that it knows how to grab you, how to throw you into the action without even telling you why. And that is exactly how Drake's Fortune begins. Nathan Drake, self styled ancestor of Sir Francis Drake, pry's open said ancestors coffin to find a clue on his long expedition to find the fabled treasure of El Dorado. Nearby stands a reporter one Elena Fisher, who comments on the desecration of his ancestors final resting place immediately adding a moral compass to Drakes more cavalier personality. Within seconds of opening the coffin our two protagonists are set upon by pirates, in which they have to fight for their lives. Already the game is making waves and its aim is to capture you in the Hollywood-esque style of high octane action undercut by mystery and romance. 

Uncharted does many things well. Its presentation for one thing, environments in the game are detailed, beautiful and full of colour. The detail that Drakes Fortune presents you with will become a staple throughout the entire series. A lonely Submarine marooned during a flood underneath a waterfall, an ancient temple barely being held aloft by shaking wooden pillars; threatening to bring it all crashing down on top of you, An abandoned Nazi research facility with flickering lights, metal vault doors and machinery consoles belching sparks. These are just some of the many environments that Drakes Fortune gives to you and with the added bonus of HD the detail of the game is better than ever.

Getting lost in the beauty of Drakes Fortune is fine but a strong parallel to the serene environments is when you're thrown into battle and those places that have remained quite for centuries suddenly become strewn with corpses. Drakes Fortune as with later titles gives you those moments to explore and as you are becoming immersed in the beauty, your suddenly yanked back brutally as bullets clip at Drakes fleeing heels. Those ancient places are now a site of devastation, disturbed, broken; the short lived peace of solving a puzzle descends into anarchy. This is the defining feature of Uncharted as you can be sure of one thing, there is never a dull moment. The enemy AI isn't dumb either as many fire fights can change from advantageous to cowering behind cover till the bullets go away. The AI is challenging and though some fights become frustrating in their repetitive nature it still feels good to pop off several enemies with a well placed grenade throw or getting the reticule alined with the enemies exposed head. The weapons in Uncharted aren't the same as in other Naughty Dog games, these aren't happy cartoony weapons, these are functional real weapons it seems that ND really wanted to hammer that point home. 

Drakes Fortune is a good game. For its time it was received well, following close on the success of Jak 3 the game had a good foot in the door and while it certainly was a good game I found it to be lacking something that later games delivered on more. As I said Drakes Fortune is a beginning and as beginnings go it was good. However I don't think Drakes Fortune is what people think of when you ask them about Uncharted. Among Thieves, now that is what I think of. Technical aspects of Drakes Fortune have been improved with enhanced loading times making an almost seamless jump from menu to the game.



Uncharted 2: Among Thieves


Imagine, if you will, a perilous situation in which there is very little chance of escape. Imagine that your hanging vertically at exactly 90 degrees sitting in a chair. Unconscious. With no idea that you are literally hanging by a thread. A slowly slipping thread that will help gravity do the rest of the work. That's how Uncharted 2 begins. Nathan Drake, our titular hero, awakes to find a crashed train, a bullet in his gut and the train slowly slipping away into the air. After a hard fought climb up the skeleton of this once great locomotive and a very near miss, Uncharted 2 tells you how Nathan Drake ended up here. Introducing two new protagonists, sort of, in the process. We learn that both have had a sorted past with Nathan, one romantic and one business. Harry Flynn, a wise cracking near mirror image of Drake and Chloe Frazer, femme fatal and Ahem "driver" of the group. These three concoct a plan to steal an object that belonged to Marco Polo with a secret on how to find the lost city of Shambala a.k.a Shangri-la. All the while they are supposedly double crossing a ruthless war criminal named Lazarevich. 

Where Drakes Fortune begins at the beginning, Uncharted 2 actually begins in the middle of the game. Not as easy as it sounds and while the majority of the first portion of the game is a flashback we eventually catch up with Nate and find out why he was in a slowly plummeting train car in the first place. This is an effective strategy for winning people over as we are drawn into situations with no real explanation as to why were in the mess. Eventually the game reveals all and brings the story back around to link back together in a nice little bow. But it takes the long way round, giving you a taste of some of the points that make Among Thieves one of the best, if not the best, game in the Uncharted series. 

Drakes Fortune gave us a starting point, it set up our heroes, their moral coding and personalities. We get to experience new things as well, betrayal, mystery, discovery, Nate's knowledge it all adds to the experience and makes us care about the characters even more than we did. Among thieves also pits us against new foes who have designs on the same treasure but not for the same reason. 

If Uncharted 1 was a Hollywood movie, fresh and unscrupulous with its presentation then Among Thieves is a Hollywood epic. The visual design of Uncharted 2, though not that different from the original, is greatly enhanced by the places you visit. Its all so immersive from snow capped mountains to deep subterranean caves, from the battered and destroyed streets of a war torn Nepal to flowing jungles deep with water of Borneo Uncharted 2 takes all of these places and meticulously makes them stunning. The depth and the feeling of each location can leave you breathless, the way that encounters work as well with destructible environments only seek to draw you further into the action. 

Among Thieves took some valuable lessons from Drakes Fortune, it learned how to present itself how to bring the best out of its characters. Because while Drakes Fortune main villain wasn't bad it was more the side show, Eddy Raja, that gave the game its vest. Lazarevich takes all the feeling out of these villains they aren't memorable at all. He is ruthless, merciless and incredibly intimidating. More than anything he is memorable, his presence is a constant reminder to Nate that he is basically one step behind nearly all the time. The presence of this foe can be felt in almost all of the encounters in the game, apart from the village segment which gives you a brief respite from the violence that followed.

Gameplay wise not much has changed from Drakes Fortune. Luckily Naughty dog are the type of people who go "Eh. If it aint broke". The gunplay remains one of the best in the series and while some new weapons make it in, its the common weapons that stick out the most. Some new enemy AI are introduced in the form of shielded enemies which can take most forms of bullet abuse, aside from rocket launchers and heavy platted enemies which take a little more coaxing than usual. All of these add to Uncharted's good but sometimes frustrating encounters.

If there were ever a game that you would hear me recommend it would be Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. It is one of the greatest games of our generation and it does extremely well proving that point. Solid gunplay, puzzle elements that are genuinely hard, intriguing characters, monsters, a helicopter attacking you....three times and a cast of characters that you will both love and hate. Its fair to say that if a game has this much impact on you, you won't be forgetting it in a hurry.



Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception 

An encore can't easily be ignored. Naughty dog have often proved that they do things in three's its a pattern that most of their fans have picked up on. It would be right then to assume that Naughty dog are going for the third time lucky streak they always seem to get. Where Uncharted 1 gave us Francis Drake's quest, Uncharted 3 wants to bring that to a close to bring everything full circle, to answer some questions that were left out last time. Our story begins with Sully and Nate making a trip to London to meet with someone to buy Drakes ring. Which, unbeknownst to us, has an alternate use other than being a piece of jewellery. In true Uncharted fashion it takes almost a full minute for things to kick off and we leap straight into the action without a seconds explanation. But thats Uncharted's style it doesn't need to explain straight away, it would rather throw you in the deep end and hope that you know how to swim before telling you why your in the drink.

Eventually after the scuffle, we are introduced to the origins of the duo team of Drake and Sully. Its actually rather interesting seeing how their dynamic changes so much from their initial meeting. One thing remains the same: Nate is a cocky smart ass and thats what we love about him. The story eventually pans back around to the present, Nate and Sully are assisted by a new British character; Charlie a.k.a Cutter. 

The story of Uncharted 3 is different in that the villains are introduced early and most of the way through they have a strangle hold on Nate's activities, being only a few steps behind them most of the time which adds a certain level of tension to the encounters of the game. It also makes it incredibly exciting to get ahead of those villains as each new discovery pushes you a little closer towards Nate's goal. Where Uncharted 1 was about discovering a legacy, Uncharted 3 is about not only completing that legacy but also proving that Nate is worthy of the name of Drake. This game is about bringing two of the best characters, the father son pair a moment in the spotlight, it shows the deep trust and indeed the limits, or lack thereof,  to which both Sully and Nate are willing to go to help each other. Its an endearing part of the story and its not one that has been repeated often by other games.

Ultimately Uncharted 3 is out to prove that it can hold its own and while I wouldn't consider it the best title it definitely shows its strengths engaging story, series staple charismatic and entertaining characters and as usual great gun play. Add on some death defying escapes from burning chateaus to sinking cruise ships to transport planes that tumble out of the sky  exploding and throwing you into the treacherous Rub' al Khali desert. These are the moments that define Uncharted as a series.

All great things come to an end

Several things are true in all forms of entertainment and media. Don't milk a good thing. Keep them wanting more even if nothing new comes from it. Having said that Naughty Dog have decided to go one further with Uncharted.

Uncharted 4 looms on the horizon. For now I am not going to say much on it. I covered the original trailer some time ago. However I will leave some more gameplay below for you guys to sink into. 


Thanks as usual, guys. Look forward to more later.

Thank You

It's been a while now since I started doing blogging and while I am obviously not the best one out there, I still think that I am doing ok. Thing is I don't like to pat myself on the back. So instead I like to give a solum thank you to all those who have read my ramblings. I'll keep going as long as people are reading, even if you only stumble upon this by accident. I thank you all the same. 

And to any regular readers, if I have any I am not sure, Thank you as well. To people on Facebook, Thank you. To you google searchers Thank you. To anyone who just happened to find this place, Thank you. 

619 views? To me thats a big win. Thank You for those views it means a lot that people would take the time to read it. Thanks Guys and Girls. Thanks Ladies and Gents. Thanks to you for getting me here. 

I'll keep going people. Stay tuned for whatever comes next, don't know yet. Probably more Life is Strange. Thank You all.

^_______^

G

Unsung Heroes

Kingdom Hearts: Unchained X

A light in the dark

Kingdom Hearts has enjoyed a long reign of supremacy among RPG's and while it certainly isn't as popular as some more mainstream titles like Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy, it still measures up well when compared to them. Although it can be hella confusing sometimes, seriously even I, a committed fan, have trouble remembering who does what and why to whom. 

So to add to that confusion Square have brought out a new smartphone title Kingdom Hearts Unchained X available for Android and IOS......in japan at least. Through some backdoor trickery I managed to get my hands on this title and I have to say its really fun.

KHUX takes place before the Keyblade war begins. An unknown Keyblade master gave a book to five of his six apprentices. This book, called the Foretellers script, details events that have yet to happen. The Foretellers script has the ability to summon warriors from previous kingdom hearts games as "Fragments" it also posses the ability to bring forth objects from the future as well.

You, the player, awaken as a fledgling keybalde wielder and are asked to pick a faction. One of the five named: Ursus, Anguis, Unicornus, Leopardus and Vulpus.

The aim of the game is to collect individual pieces of Light named Lux to sustain your chosen factions supremacy. These pieces of light are attained from defeated heartless. 

The beginning of the game is familiar to almost anyone who has played multiple Kingdom Hearts games, you awaken in dive to the heart and have to fend off the darkness. All pretty standard stuff.

Reading the script

The game itself is fairly easy to play a simple point and click game. Tap the screen to make your character move and do the same when in battle. While moving around in maps you can find shiny spots that provide you with upgrade materials for your key blade. The heartless also spawn on the map and when you get close you engage them in battle, battles are turn based and the heartless adhere to a certain specific ability, three attributes and one attribute is better than another. Strength, Magic and Speed. Strength beats Speed, Speed beats Magic and Magic beats Strength. So a sort of rock paper scissors system. Attacking with a "Card" that is the opposite of the enemy deals more damage.

I call them cards but you get medals in the game which include characters from all of the different KH games so far, even two bit characters who don't matter all that much become cards. These cards can be upgraded and putting them in certain slots in a deck can boost their power. Cards aren't the only thing that can be upgraded you can also upgrade each key blade you acquire into more powerful forms. 

Your character can be upgraded as well, since I don't know the actual name for this bit I am gonna call it Style Paths. Style paths unlock various features such as giving your character more customisation options which include changing their hair or costume. You may find some of the costumes familiar. Familiar enemies and friends feature heavily in this game. 

Finally you have the option to use up special points to buy more cards for your deck which have varying rarity the rarer they are the more powerful they become.

Even though the game is in Japanese its fairly intuitive and easy to pick up, even if you don't understand it. I find the best way to overcome a translation barrier is to try all your options and see what does what.

Our books are missing part of the story-The lost page. I found the traitor. I don't believe there is one among us. Are we all going to turn against one another? Its written on that page that one will betray all.


As usual, Kingdom Hearts choses to be overly cryptic in its message. The story of KHUX leads into the key blade war as each Union begins to hoard Lux (Light) it inevitably leads to conflict which is what starts the key blade war clearly. Interestingly however there is a clue to the "One will betray all" line. The original holder of the foretellers script gave the script to FIVE of his SIX apprentices and seeing as there are only five unions to chose from I think its safe to assume that the sixth apprentice had a hand in this. Bit of reading between the lines there. 

One Will Betray All.......

One Of The Six.....

Regardless this entry does the one thing that Kingdom Hearts is good at which is screwing with peoples heads, trying to place where this entry ties in. Given that KH III is the next release, well kind of what with KH 2.8, its safe to assume that it will expand a little more on that. After all we know what they're fighting over, the X-blade (Chi-blade some call it). 



If you should have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, one day master of this blade you shall be.

A fun little game KHUX but like many titles skipping it may lead to more confusion later down the line. Its an easy game to pick up and go despite language barriers and though there is some lag in the game as environments render its not taxing on the device, abilities are fun and flashy and its fun to experiment with what works best. The daily bonuses are good as well they give you a healthy amount of SP to spend to increase your card deck. Raid bosses are incredibly easy to kill as they have weak points which when exploited give you a whole turn, sometimes five, to deal more damage to them making for some very easy EXP ( I jumped 8 levels once). 

Kingdom Hearts Unchained X also carries a lot of weight, it solves some issues surrounding the mystery that is the key blade war and expands on the universe as well.

If your looking for an easy but immersive game to just pick up and play then KHUX is defiantly one to invest in. I believe that the title is coming west so soon people can play it and understand it.

PSA

Calling All Hunter's

MONSTER HUNTER 4

ANNOUNCEMENT 

Message

So here's the thing. Right now I find myself playing through MGS5, by the way amazing game defiantly doing a review on it later, but when I've finished on it I intend to return to the realm of Monster Hunting for a while.

Now I have a few friends who like playing Monster Hunter and thats great, but I've always wanted a more steady hunting party. Now I won't always be available to play MH4U as real world stuff gets in the way i.e. work, writing up on here, reading, socialising etc etc. But for those of you who read this and play MH4U consistently know that I am on the lookout for a group.

Monster Hunter has become a favourite of mine and while it is fun playing alone, you can get more satisfaction from working as a group. I am looking to raise my HR and get generally better at the game. I've been watching some videos for MHX and it looks amazing, however Capcom haven't said wether or not their going to be releasing MHX for the west yet, I mean it seems likely given their track record but then again Frontier online never saw the light of day in the west.

If your interested in forming a group then I am HR6. Leave a comment or send me an email if your interested and I'll provide my friend code and Skype details. 

Side note

Me and my friends have been talking about starting a youtube channel, I am currently looking at recording equipment so stay tuned for more details on that. 

Life is Strange

Episode 1: Chrysalis

Let's see how far this rabbit hole goes...

Life is strange is a take on the new wave of multiple choice adventure games that Telltale have become so well known for. Telltale has been dominating the gaming market over the past 4 years and you can't go very far anywhere in the gaming community without seeing a title of theirs advertised. 

Que. Square enix who have decided to profit from this side of gaming. Life is strange is their title and it defiantly brings a new level to the multiple choice, multiple endings dynamic that Telltale established years ago.

Enter Max Caulfield and her bizarre journey

Our protagonist. A shy, nerdy, quirky and relatively innocent girl just turned 18 and accepted into the prestigious Blackwell Academy in her hometown of Arcadia, Oregon. The game begins with a dream sequence in which Max is wondering through Arcadia Bay towards a lighthouse in the middle of a storm. Well I call it a storm, it looks more like an extinction level tornado is tearing through Arcadia Bay. Max gets a front row seat to the destruction of her hometown and of course gets hit by the lighthouse falling on her and then she wakes up. A good start honestly. 

After a weird ass dream, Max awakes in her photography class headed by a famous Photographer turned Professor, Mark Jefferson. This particular teacher reminded me of my own University tutor Richard Billingham and some of the questions I knew the answers to in real life. It made me tell Max the answers even though there wasn't an option to do so. Not at first anyway.

Once class is concluded you have the option to wander around the classroom looking at various things including work from other students. Max eventually decides to get herself together in the bathroom before her next class. Must be pretty stressful being a wall flower. Its only when you enter the bathroom that things get weird.


Butterfly effect 

So long story short, A guy murders a girl in the bathroom and Max is witness to it. She tries to reach out and stop him but ends up reversing time. Max reawakens back in the classroom and is this time able to answer all of the questions correctly instead of looking foolish. Eventually she manages to get back to the bathroom and prevents the guy, Nathan Prescott, from murdering the girl. 

Its at this point that you have your first major choice in the game pop up and these choices really do come home to roast later on. The choices you make even little insignificant ones have big ramifications down the line. As you wander around the campus there are various people you can talk to and decisions to make and thanks to your time powers if your not sure of an answer you can always go back to try a different response. This makes for an interesting mechanic as you can be extra bitchy and then go back and undo it.

For the purposes of spoiler prevention I won't go into full detail about it. Suffice to say stuff goes down and the game begins. 


Its a wonderful life

Life is strange episode 1 does a lot of things right. It sets you up for the duration of the series, it quickly establishes who is suspicious and why, it delivers some hard hitting feelings immediately and has you empathising with most of the characters you meet and the choices you make while not apparent straight away carry enormous weight later on. Max is also a relatable character at least to me she was. She is not strong or stylised as being you typical main character, I always had a sense that she was like glass try to hard to bend it and it will break. The supporting characters are what make up Max as a character, how they interact with her and subsequently how she interacts with them shape the way she is represented. Be a bitch and you're a bitch, be nice and social and you're just that.

The numerous ways in which things are represented as well, the double meanings that get lost in translation are what make the game great. The butterfly that you see at the beginning for example, represents the butterfly effect in which decisions you make even seemingly normal effortless decisions have huge consequences. That is a juxtaposition between Max and her new time powers. Reading between the lines is a big thing in Life is strange as you can learn a whole lot from it. 


Next time on Life is strange....

As is tradition each game gives you a small glimpse of what is to come. Again alluding to the whole time ability.

Life is Strange Episode 1: Chrysalis. As far as game beginnings go it started off really well, with lots of different decisions to be made and despite the fact you can change those decisions it had me really thinking about my decisions. That is the mark of a good game, the ones that make you think. 

This game also shows a lot of promise and charm that others don't and while the title is neutral and doesn't reveal a whole lot it covers up the darker tone that LIS can have. I love the Avant Garde way in which each thing is represented and the photography was a nice touch reminding me of my days as a student. My only regret is that I wish my life was a strange as Max's but I digress. 

If your looking for a simple, fun, deep and interesting experience and somehow find yourself without anything to play recently I suggest giving Life is Strange a run for its money. I promise you want be disappointed. 

Where have all the releases gone?

A look at surprising game announcements and releases we've yet to see. 

Long title

Great

Just keeps going

Stop

Ok I am done

State of play

Let's face it this year has been great for gaming, films, TV and books and though the year isn't out yet there is a lot to see and do. This year has been particularly promising for gaming as many good titles have been released or are planning to be released. His a list of stuff I've compiled that is interesting. The list includes games to come and stuff that's available now. Asterisks indicate future titles. 

Telltales Game of Thrones episodes 1 to 5 

Metal Gear Solid 5*

Dishonored Definitive Edition

Bloodborne 

Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the first sin

Dark Souls 3*

Monster Hunter X*

Legend of Legacy*

Pokken Tournament*

Odin Sphere: Leifdrasir*

Battleborne*

Hyper Light Drifter*

No man's sky*

Life is strange (Last episode "Polarised" forthcoming)

Tales from the borderlands 

Batman Arkham Knight

For Honor*

Uncharted 4: A thief's end*

Scale bound*

Fallout 4*

Kingdom Hearts 3*

Mighty Number 9*

Red Ash*

Bloodstained: Ritual of the night*

Super Smash Bros 3DS and Wii U

Hyrule warriors Wii U

Hyrule Warriors 3DS*

Bayonetta 2

Street Fighter 5*

SMITE

Mortal Kombat X

Attack on Titan PS4*

Homefront: The revolution*

Tom Clancy's: The Division*

Arslan Senki Musou*

Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition

Salt and Sanctuary*

Bloodborne expansion*

Hearthstone 

Fallout Shelter 

Rise of the Tomb Raider*

Overwatch*

Horizon Zero Dawn*

Final Fantasy VII Remake*

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

The Legend of Zelda Wii U*

Dishonored 2*

So far its been a good year for gaming. There have been some real contenders for GOTY at the moment but like I said years not over and its still anyones game (pun definitely intended) Let's look at some releases that are surprising and welcome.

Dishonored Definitive Edition

This one came out from no where taking everyone by surprise. Not that it wasn't wanted of course but with all the hype from Fallout 4 it was easy for other Bethesda titles to fall under the radar.

Dishonored DE doesn't bring anything exclusive or new to the experience aside from the DLC at your fingertips. When starting off in the game you get a whole plethora of bone charms after first meeting the outsider which was fantastic. Gained a trophy in the process as well. Aside from these added things Dishonored remains the same. Simply a taste of the potential of Dishonored 2 which, inevitably, will build off the original. 

Dishonored is still one of my favourite games of all time and rightly deserved. While many find it clunky there is real charm in its parts.

Metal Gear Solid 5

MGS5 isn't out here yet, but its release date certainly made everyone step back. September 1st is two days away. After everything that Konami have been through and subsequently Kojima, its not all that surprising they went for a closer release than what they  had predicted. 

MGS5 is set to be the best of the series so far and it has a lot to make up for as MGS4 left people wondering where the film ended and the game began. Controller or Popcorn? Ocelot or Liquid? Good game or Utter crap? Lets hope that MGS5 solves these problems and restores some credibility to Konami's name. Because lets face it, their sinking faster than the Titanic.

Mighty Number 9, Hyper Light Drifter and No Man's Sky

These are surprising because most of us were sure that they would see the light of day this year. Unfortunately that is not the case. 

Mighty Number 9 the spiritual successor to Megaman was something a lot of people were after. Keji Inafune didn't disappoint either. The game looks incredibly well done, there is more emphasis on saving the enemy as well to make the games more family friendly. Its safe to put money down on Mighty N9 becoming the new Megaman. Who knows it may evolve down the same route and become similar to X.

Hyper Light Drifter is one, I personally, have been waiting for intently. Some solid gameplay was released recently at PAX East 2015, it looks incredible but also difficult which only adds more to its charm. Hyper Light Drifter has been pushed back unfortunately to next year. Its a good move on the part of Heart Machine as there has been very little news from them. At least now they can refine the fine points of the game.

No Man's Sky is set to be one of the best indie games there is and its being made here in the good old UK. Its pretty hard to miss as it was at E3 this year but on the off chance you haven't seen it yet you should check out IGN's (Ughhh) extended look at the game. 

There are some really good titles to look forward to and its safe to say that if your bored this year or next then you have no excuse as these titles will have you reaching for the controller again and again. 

My Top 10 so far

1. Bloodborne

Still one of the best titles I've played this year. The lore keeps me coming back, that and the want to finish new game plus. 

2. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate 

Its hard to fully finish these types of games and while tedium can set in when playing MH4U there is so much to do it rarely sticks around for long.

3. Life is Strange 

At the urging of one of my friends I decided to try it out. The game is very Avant-garde and shows the power of similar games. The conclusion to this series is going to be climatic no matter what.

4. Dishonored 

Like I said before its a favourite of mine. Even if not a lot has changed there is still a great game here. Take some lessons Thief, you don goofed.

5. Arkham Knight

Haven't finished it yet, but its a testament to its credit. The game is huge and a great edition for fans of both Batman and the Arkham series.

6. Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the first sin

DARK. FRIGGIN. SOULS. Must be a glutton for punishment because I am really looking forward to Dark Souls 3. Despite dying more times than anyone else I still go back in the hopes of getting better.

7. Minecraft 

Better with friends. We've made some crazy shit.

8. Final Fantasy X-2

Not as bad as I remember it being. Hell I am getting into it more than before. With the edition of the Psychic dress sphere a.k.a broken as shit the game is a lot easier. Fun to. Except Sphere break, thats exactly as I remember it. 

9. Gravity Rush 

Love this game re-playing it again only reminds me of how much I want a sequel for it.

10. Super Smash Bros

With the edition of Ryu and Roy. There is plenty of reasons to go back to this game time and time again. Still hoping to get better. 

My top 10 Look forwards 

1. Horizon Zero Dawn

Looks incredible. If you haven't seen anything about it yet take a look at it on youtube. Mix Uncharted with techno dinosaurs and you get this.

2. Monster Hunter X

With an emphasis on being more stylish than its predecessors MHX looks set to be one of the best titles so far. Flashy moves and devastating attacks are always a good indicator of a kickass game. Or maybe thats just me. 

3. Scale Bound

Platinum games. The minds behind Bayonetta are bringing a dragon into the mix. For those who love DMC you might want to give this a look over.

4. Hyper light Drifter

See above.

5. No Man's Sky

See above. 

6. Mighty Number 9

See above.

7. Battleborne 

Borderlands developers take a step towards the MMO side of gaming. Battleborne's impressive visuals and story make it look promising.

8. Bloodstained: Ritual of the night

Igarashi's break away from Castlevania was well timed as now when we look upon Castlevania we look with sorrow at what its become. Igarashi wants a return to some of the better titles like Symphony of the Night and what better way to do that than with a spiritual successor. 

9. Uncharted 4

Love Uncharted and while 3 missed the mark 4 looks to undo the mistake. Here's to you Naughty dog, make us proud.

10. Dishonored 2

Having replayed the original, like 11 times, this was a welcome announcement at E3. As Bethesda dropped the mike on E3 and it still lies there to this day. No man brave enough to pick it up and dispute that they stole the show. I hear one guy tried and turned to stone right then and there. Crazy.

So there it is. My roundup and a good refresher to blogging. I've been gone awhile. Sorry bout that. Probably going to do a review on the current episodes of Life is Strange after I play the fourth episode. So far its gearing up to be a great series with a lot of potential. Sorry to those of you that visit regularly, been kinda busy. Anyway here's hoping this will motivate me to do more. 

Thanks for reading 

G