The Fall into Competitive Multiplayer Games.

As a child – when that first mighty controller was laid into my tiny hands – I knew from the moment that Nintendo jumped to life, games would play a huge part in my life. At the ripe old age of 26, I feel that as I have grown up, so has the gaming industry. The games released these days – obviously with a few more pixels – have more choice and variety to them. However, I must confess with you, dear reader... I used to detest playing competitive multi-player games.
That may seem like an alien sentence to some, but I've never been too keen on them. Let me just explain what I mean by my definition of competitive multi-player. This would be a game where you are pitted against the other team to a bloody battle to the death. Or perhaps you were flinging cards at an opponent who's deck consists entirely of Murloc's! But each time you play, it's ranked. This means that whatever the outcome, you have shown your worth to the rest of the world. Everyone can see how good (or bad) you are at the game. If you're at the top, you have to defend your honour and keep reclaiming that crown.
This to me didn't seem right. Gaming should be a way to unwind, relax or become enveloped in a whole new world or experience. Now don't get me wrong. I have enjoyed a friendly one on one in Street Fighter or caused havoc in Los Santos online, but never in a competitive mode. To me, a single player game has more to offer. You become immersed with the character you're playing. There's a deeper connection you get, and when it ends you feel like you've walked with them, through the terrors and faced each challenge in your own way. So when a friend asked me – nay, begged me- to download League of Legends, I was a little dubious.

Until August 2014, I had no idea what this League of Legends was. Never even heard of it. Impossible?! I hear you cry out. Well take my word reader, I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference between a Rabaddon's deathcap or a B.O.T.R.K. But after much persistence from a friend, I snapped and downloaded the phenomenon that is. And it has thrown my gaming world into despair! As I scrolled my cursor over the application and was greeted by a cute, furry animal chasing a firefly, I must admit I was curious and wondered further into the unknown. After completing the tutorial, a few custom and AI games, I felt I was ready to enter Summoners Rift against actual people and dived head first into my first match.
To say I was terrible, is an understatement. For those that play L.o.L regularly prepare for a laugh (and maybe some rage). For those that do not I will explain as best as I can:
* Each team consists of 5 members.
* On Summoners Rift there is three lanes, a jungle and a river in the centre.
* The object of the game is to destroy the enemy teams nexus (or base) and to get there your team must destroy the turrets of a lane, then the base turrets and inhibitor, and only then can you proceed to take down the main base.
* There is always an influx of minions on each lane, which when killed give you a small amount of gold. Killing an enemy champion gives you more gold.
* The baron and dragon give buffs (or advantages in layman terms) to your team.
* Buying items for your character is important, and depending on what the enemy team buys, may be situational to that game.
* The top lane - usually would be a bruiser or a tank, who can take and deal damage.
* The mid lane - would be a mage, that does very high damage and would have C.C (or crowd control) with stuns and the like.
* The jungler – is used to ambush the lanes and support them. This role can be a variety of types, from a tank who can soak up all the damage, or an assassin who is designed to annihilate targets quickly.
* Bottom lane – where one would usually have a support (to either heal or secure kills) and a marksman (also known as the attack, damage, carry or ADC for short) – I chose Nautilus, who has a giant anchor he carries with him everywhere which he can use to grab enemies and slow them.

Now he sounds like a perfect support. Except I wasn't playing support... That's right, this slow, meandering colossus was the ADC of the team. The player, who is meant to speed around the map and cause a whole lot of damage, was I...with Nautilus. I had a death from running into a turret with no coverage from minions. I died attempting to solo the dragon. I charged head first into a one on one with a Zed (a high-burst damage champion) and died spectacularly. But not all was lost. I secured a glorious 5 kills. They may have been kill steals but regardless they were mine (sort of)! After my team secured the enemies nexus (thanks mostly to the mid and top lane) I saw what all wish to see after landing into Summoners Rift for the first time: Victory.

Soon after I began to play L.o.L regularly. After meeting some friendly (and some not so friendly) people online, they began to tell me what I should buy for each character and pointed me in the direction of certain sites which I could use to help my builds. For example: if an enemy buys all attack damage, you buy armour to counteract it. If they buy ability power/ magic damage, you get some magic resist. This may seem like common sense but when you're trying to secure kills and find you take to much damage; don't you think its time to swap that long sword for cloth amour?
By the time November came I had a full grasp of how the game worked, how to win and what not to do. The core concept may sound simplistic but this is more than just taking down turrets and steam-rolling head first. It's about out-playing your opponent, guessing their next move and being three steps ahead. Its about contesting for that next dragon which will give you a 6% advantage in team fight, which could mean life or death. For those that say gaming is just going through the motions and childish has obviously not played something like this. And this isn't the only game. There's DOTA, which is much like L.o.L (I'll be hanged for that statement). You also have Counter Strike, the FPS competitive game. I did try and play that after playing L.o.L but as it turns out, I was atrocious. I felt comfortable with the League and after the 4.20 patch, when the graphics were updated, it seemed right.

But by then it wasn't just about playing the game. I had become obsessed with it to a degree. I would watch pro-matches. I would cheer when a team gained vision control. I would scream uncontrollably when a team fight ensued and laugh when the player named “Balls” was “on that Mega-Gnar” (actual quote). Then, as the sun rose on an icy January 21st, my friends and I created our own ranked team. Since then, before each match we'd consider what our strengths and weaknesses are. Which champions to ban and when to contest for an objective. And so far, we've lost all 4 of our matches. Now, to be fair, the “Flamboyant Peanut Xpress” is a new team and we are still in the provisional matches, and two of the loses were just unlucky, but each time before a match, I'll get nervous. It's like the feeling one would get before an important interview or stepping onto the field as you play in a league for football or rugby. You want to do well. You want to win.

Anyone can log onto L.o.L and look at the stats of “FbPnut” and criticize how our performance was. And this is where – before I began playing ranked – I wasn't keen on the idea. But, this is the difference a competitive game has to a single player. You may not be as immersed, and the story may be harder to relate to. But there is more of a thrill to it. You can gain more from it because of the thought process of how to tactically win a match. I like the feeling of the nerves and attempting to solve the puzzle during the game of how to win. It's not just about playing the game any more. In a sense, it becomes part of your life. For those that play competitively – be it DOTA, CS:GO or L.o.L – I guarantee that as soon as you lost, you'd be lying in bed pondering how it could have gone better; that if you landed that hook on their Ahri, would you have won the match?



Thanks for reading.

O.E.Gamer.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcqodAYWMcdUuL77AHbvXow

Can You Dig It?

Waaaaaaarrrriorrs... Come out to plllllaaaaayyy!!! 

The Warriors is a great PS2 title. Developed by Rockstar, it captures the violence, the gritty feel and accompanied by an epic soundtrack. It was released last year on the playstation network and I ended up buying it on my trusty PS Vita. 

The game takes places some months before the meeting with Cyrus. You play as all the Warriors throughout the game but start as Rambrant during his initiation. This phase is solely a tutorial of how to bop some heads. It has co-op and a rumble mode, but I never really played that mode. As a Warrior, you'll face off against The Turnbull A.C's, The Orphans (who are the worst gang in existence) and obviously... the 5-0! Can you survive the onslaught and make it all the way back to Coney Island? 

PLOT. 

If you don't know the plot to this...then you are a sheltered child. The game follows the Warriors on how they are invited to the meeting with the Gramacy Riffs. There's also historic mission on how each of the main members of the gang joined which helps the to give the game more layers and depth. The game also has side missions in each level which is usually to tag over that gangs colours. There is also bonus missions at the Warriors HQ which help boost stats.

GAMEPLAY.

The controls don't change much from the console to handheld, the only difference is to move the camera you have to hold a shoulder button and the left analog. I'm adamant it was the right analog for the consoles! X and Square attack, circle grabs, triangle picks up weapons and jumps and the left shoulder button lets you run. You can mix up the attacks to create different combinations. 

Each of the Warriors has their own strengths and weaknesses. For example, Fox attacks aren't to powerful but he has a larger rage meter. The rage meter gets filled after landing so many attacks and allows the player to have stronger attacks. If you grab the enemy and use square and X together, the player will put together an head smashing combo. Ajax will gut punch, pick up and slam AND - as if that wasn't enough - stomps on their head! 

The health bar is shown by a small circle round the players feet and can be replenished by purchasing Flash - the quick fixer-upper. It's good that it doesn't cover the screen and is in view enough to see when your health is low. You can also use weapons which break after (roughly) 5 shots. 

The combat is some of the best I've seen for a beat-em up. Then Rockstar made it co-op. And blew my mind. There's something special about holding a Moonrunner as your mate throws a knee that would send a chimp into space! 

To give the game more depth and to add to your high score, you can rob people and steal radios you earn money. The money helps buy the Flash and spray paint. The game mechanic's for stealing or breaking into a shop are simple enough but still provide a challenge to the player. 

PRESENTATION.

Not much to say here and that isn't a bad thing. It's a PS2 title so think of Manhunt or San Andreas and you're on the right track. The frames and animation for the fighting have very few problems. I don't think I ever played this and seen it glitch. The presentation is always dark though but it's understandable considering this is a game about the armies of the night...

SOUND.

The classic songs and sounds from the film have been used. They even used some of the actors to re-record lines and to do additional ones also. It certainly captures the feel of the time and helps create the atmosphere. 

CONCLUSION.

For those that haven't played or seen The Warriors. You must. A free area beat-em up that works is rare and there is more to this game that meets the eye. Even after you complete the story, Rockstar added a side scroller - much like Streets Of Rage - and kept all the controls. It works. Incredibly well. The music from the 79' classic, transport the player into the shoes of one of The Warriors and some of the mission are memorable. The Warriors gets a 9/10. 


Cheers for Reading, 


O.E.G. 
@TheOEGamer
Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment. 

Home: A Unique Horror Adventure

Now just to make you all aware I recently bought a new iPhone. I can hear the applause already! And since my wifi is down and I'm working away from home I can't play any retro or my GameCube. But fear not! For I have bought games on the App Store! What games?? Well I'll give you a hint...the title maybe. 

                  "I hope that's jam."

Yes Home! After perusing many sites on which games work well on the iPhone, this gem kept on making the lists. So I decided to take it upon myself to check it out. Home takes place (oddly enough) in a house where the player wakes up, unable to determine how he got there. So it's up to you to search the house and other areas - from factories, forests and sewers - find clues and ultimately escape. So the game mechanics are simple enough. To walk left, touch the left side of the screen. To walk right, touch right. Double tap to interact and up makes you...yup...look up. 

It's done in an 8-bit fashion, so to all you retro fans, this is already definitely worth the buy (I mean come on its only 2 British pounds...less than a pint!). The developers have made it so you just have a flashlight which gives off a small radius of light, so you must delve into the darkness to understand and solve the mystery!

Now at the start of the game it tells you to put in headphones and turn the lights off. So like any decent gamer, I obliged. It was the middle of the day though, so I just sat in a cupboard for two hours. 

"But O.E.G! Can a 8-bit game really be classed as a horror game?? And seriously you sat in a cupboard?" 

            ...I don't wanna play anymore! 

...Yes! I seriously did. And yes. It totally can! I'm not going to lie. I jumped a lot and felt genuinely nervous about walking anywhere! The sound of wooden doors creaking open. The wail of rusted steel. The echoing footsteps down a hall. All these things add to the tension in the game. As you near the end of this nightmare, there's a constant rattle of bass, booming in the background, making everything feel more ominous. Simple yet effective. 

I've been told it has three endings, and on my play through I think I missed a few bits so I'm definitely going to play it again. It's intriguing and draws the player in. It makes you want to find out what's happened. This game is like if dead space and monkey's island had an 8-bit baby. I definitely recommend this to all. See if you can solve the mystery!! And try not to shit your pants. 

P.S. Here's the link to it on iTunes. 

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/home-unique-horror-adventure/id656723874?mt=8

Cheers. 

O.E.G 

@theOEGamer

Oh Luigi!

Since I'm still loving my GameCube at the moment, I have thought of a new game to ramble on about.

Luigi's Mansion! Let me level with you here reader. I actually played this for the first time last week when I acquired said GameCube. I had only seen this briefly on adverts so everything I say about this is fresh and not from memory, unlike the former twelve posts. The game follows (if you hadn't realised) Luigi for a change instead of Mario. It turns out this lucky chap has won a mansion in the arse-end of nowhere! Scam you say? Probably. But an excited Luigi can't tell the difference and goes to rub it in his brother's small face, and asks him at the same time to come celebrate...Oh Luigi...that's low. Anyways, Luigi arrives at the mansion only to find its haunted by ghosts! And they've taken Mario! Enter the player to capture ghosts and solve the mystery of where the hell Mario actually is.

So the first thing I noticed and probably fell in love with is the music. Nintendo I don't know how you do it but keep pumping these tunes out! O.K. So Luigi's Mansion's main theme isn't exactly raising the roof but it manages to be quirky and creepy. This is done by just having Luigi - and only Luigi - whistle the tune when there's nothing going on or you are exploring the mansion.
Until you meet a spoooky ghost and the bass kicks in followed by the violins. This gives the sense that the player truly is alone in this gigantic house. Even the noise of the creaking floorboards, Luigi's footsteps and the occasional lightning strike manage to keep the game dark...for a Nintendo/ Mario game. Oh and another little cool thing is if you press A Luigi will call out for his brother. I think its cool!

 Who ya gunna call????

Next is the presentation. Let me tell you. It looks great. All the different coloured ghosts are neatly drawn. The backgrounds to each room are well filled. Obviously Luigi looks amazing. Seriously; Nintendo know how to make a game stand out. The best part of the presentation though seems to be the shadows. When you go into one of the rooms with the mini-bosses and see its shadow slowly floating on the wall, its creepy. BUT its the good kind of creepy where you can appreciate what the developers have done. The worst (not worst as in bad mind you!) is the baby though. With the combination of the quiet jingle of a creche, a calm wind blowing against the drapes AND a floating baby shadow...Yeah, freaked me out.

Trick Doors are uuuuuurvvvywhere!

 

Also for an old school game its has some good mechanics for gameplay. To my knowledge, this is one of the very few games (of 2002) that uses a vacuum/ hoover, where you can suck up sheets or balls. They integrate well into the game making the player use it at certain points to complete an objective. Or to use it to uncover a BOO! Now combine this awesome hoover sucking/blowing (phrasing) ability with a torch system...baby you got yourself a game! The player uses the torch to shine onto a ghost which will stun them, then uses the vacuum to suck the blighters up! Sounds simple yes. But trying running round a room sucking up ghosts when more appear...yeah. Like herding cats...with a hoover. When a room is cleared, the lights come on and give the player the sense of security, because lets be honest, when you were a kid and you couldn't sleep you either; a) had a night light or b) but the landing light on...just me?

Lastly there's a few things a missed which I think deserve some mention:
1. The trick doors are a clever way to make sure the player is using the map to navigate. Smart Nintendo.
2. The Way Luigi moves in the game is priceless. He walks on his tiptoes, he's constantly bricking it! And when you find a key/object his little spin is awesome (accompanied by some awesome music once again).
3. Using the Gameboy "Horror" as a Boo finder, coin counter, map and a plethora of others, is an extremely nice touch. 


Now I haven't played this all the way through but its definitely deserves a mention. This is one of the few games I've picked up and instantly enjoyed. From the music, to the gameplay and even the quirky comments made throughout. Nintendo surely know how to make an interesting yet addictive game. Its even fun to watch someone play this game as I find out when my buddy just sat and watched me play the first hour or so without moving. Or maybe he was watching me and planning to kill me??!!?


O.E.G.
@theOEGamer


P.S.
Comments would be appreciated and I'll get back to you all...you might even get a kiss.

My Top Five Games I Hate...With Additional Swearing

So I know I call myself optimistic and I suppose I am. But sometimes I lose my shit with games...like completely. Just to make you aware I am gunna be swearing my tits off here solely for the fact I'll wind myself up about each game. This was also a ball ache and took me ages because I was trying to rack my brain so I had to search EVERY game on the PS2 (yes every title AND I couldn't even find one!). Also you'll have to bear with me on some of them, I will explain! So... here we go. Hold on tight. (Warning: Spoilers).


5. James Bond 007: Nightfire - GameCube/ PS2/ Xbox.

This is only being placed at no. five because it came with the GameCube I acquired and I don't like trying to rate something without seeing/playing it all the way through...however. This game sucks. I could only withstand 15 minutes- TOPS - before I turned it off in a rage. The graphics are fucking awful! I've seen better Playstation games! And for that matter a SNES games! The cars look like literal squares. And the sounds....the FUCK!!!!! I'm done.

To sum up. It is awful.








4. Deus Ex. Human Revolution - Xbox360/ PC/ PS3.

Right. So Deus Ex. Its an awesome game. I loved upgrading my character into a stealthy dealer of death, and attempting to just ruin everyone's day by playing as a complete bastard. Whats that? You've been promoted to "crummy desk Sergeant?" GIVE A FUCK! So like I said its awesome. What isn't awesome and actually changed my entire perspective on the game was the ending. Eidos you cheap bastards. Instead of some brilliant cut scene where I thought I'd see Jensen killing himself or choosing whatever, I'm "treated" with black and white footage of Earth???? No no no. I play games to get away from this shit, not to be dropped right back in it during the fucking game!!!!!!
Ruined.







3. Rise of the Robots - SNES.

If you haven't seen any footage of this, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYUeO_yk9To
Continue sum this up perfectly, "nothing about this game was entertaining or fun at all". Yup. I remember my dad getting me and brother this. The title screen had me super excited! We then had a fight and my smiling face went straight to a "da fuq is this??" The game uses pre-rendered C.G.I sprites rather than pixel art or digitized sprites. Essentially it just looks buals (balls!). There is limited moves and even then it feels super slow. My problem with this game is....why was it made?








2. Rage - Xbox360/ PC/ PS3.

 This follows the same trend as Deus Ex but it wound me up even more, if its even possible (hence why its no. 2). Same applies, this game is a sexy looking game and they even got some decent folk to do some of the voices (like John Goodman!) and considering it was sold as a similar game to Fallout and boasted about Mad Max style world, which it did. But in my eyes it fell short. Super short. Yes, there was opens worlds but they seemed linear. How do you manage to make something openly linear??? HOW? The game was put onto two discs which I expected to make the game huge, and it did. But wait, the player wants to go back and explore the first area? Na fuck that, limited freedom is where its at! Like I said, the game is amazing but like @mattaconda (https://twitter.com/Mattaconda) said,"there's only so much lipstick you can put on a pig."
When I finished it I just stared at the credits and genuinely thought,"well that was a fucking waste, think I'll go outside." And it didn't even take that long and I was attempting to make it last...Fuck you Rage. I'll show you some RAGE!!!!!





1. Red Faction: Armageddon - Xbox360/ PC/ PS3.

Here it is. Possibly my most hated game. THIS FUCKING GAME! I don't think I've ever been so disappointed at a game. This is probably because I was, and maybe still am, a huge fan of the first two on the PS2 and Guerrilla on the 360. The first two for the ability to smash the environment and getting the rail gun to shoot through walls and kill enemies. Guerrilla because they took the destroying environments to the next level. They gave you all of Mars to go crazy with. Here's a giant hammer. See that building? You can flatten it! One of my favourite things was just wielding this super hammer and just fucking shit up. Then they released this one in 2011. And ruined everything!!!! Why the fuck would you decide to put the player back in the ground on a linear path after giving them the freedom of the world?! I know the first two where underground but they worked because they probably didn't have the capacity on the PS2 to attempt what they did with Guerrilla. But seriously. Even at the start they give the player a little teaser. "Oh remember all that cool shit like blowing up buildings and smashing pipelines with hammers? Yeah none of that anymore." If I had to compare this to anything it would be a stripper. They both had me super excited when they started but at the end I'm left disappointed. And all alone...again.

Addendum: If you haven't notice I do like open games, so when a games is labelled as such, I will probably try it out. But when it undersells like the above, I tend to lose it.

Now I know the majority of the games on the list are from the "next-gen" era, but it's because I couldn't find many from the retro era that I hated. Maybe because there wasn't as much choice and the developers had to make sure the game was perfect so they could make a profit. Or maybe because back when I was a young'n, I thought everything was amazing and colourful (except Rise of the Robots). And now I'm older and wiser and can see more faults and I'm more skeptical. Or its that the game developers don't seem to spend as much time on certain games. Whatever it is these games above...pissed me off massively. 

If you have any different or agree with me let me know!

Cheers,

 

O.E.G.

@theOEGamer.

Return of the King

I know what you're thinking and this ain't a LOTR review. For those of you who follow me on twitter, you'll be aware I've recently got a GameCube! Literally, all my new consoles - 360, 3DS and my PC - have all be shoved to one side to make way for this hero. The rest of this month and probably next will contain reviews from the GameCube and what's going to start us off?

Super Smash Bros. Melee! Now I know that pretty much everyone in existence has played this game. But I've never owned a GameCube so this is all new to me and obviously I've played it but I've never had one to call mine. The game is a beat em up and a sequel to super smash bros. on the N64. 

Mostly a multiplayer game but it does have an arcade mode and adventure mode. It has a wide variety of playable character from throughout the nintendo world. This ranges from Donkey Kong, Link, Pikachu, and Captain Falcon to just name a few. 

Each character has their own special moves and attacks. This can make the game extremely tactical if you know how to use the character up close and at range. The aim is too damage the opponent enough to send him flying off the screen and to his speedy demise. The games can be done either on a timed basis or how many lives you have. But I'm sure EVERYONE knew that. Hahaha! 

So first thing. The music and sounds. Since this game uses characters from all over the nintendo world, you hear a variety of music, each fitting to it's stage. All seem as if they have a fully orchestrated band playing on each arena. My personal favourites are Hyrule (for the intro music being played on one or two instrument, slowly building into a masterpiece) and the Pokemon stadium (cause it's Pokemon). There is also a crowd that cheers for their favourite combatant, and gasps at close calls and near falls (unintentional rhyme!). It makes you feel as if you are on the main stage of this spectator sport. Even the small ping as someone is flung into space makes the entire game come together. I also think I could listen to the character select music for a prolonged period and not get bored. Even though this game is essentially about killing and beating up people, Nintendo still manage to make you feel happy!!

Oh Luigi...What are you DOING?!?!

Next up is the graphics. 2002 this beaut came out and it still looks good. All the models of characters look well finished, even the ones intended to look 8-bit. I personally enjoy when you collect another trophy and you can view them all in your collection, a proud moment for any gamer! Another personal favourite is just playing as Kirby solely so I can make him look like a cute Samus or D.K. Each stage, is vibrant and although beautiful and eye drawing, doesn't take the players attention too much. 

I am trying to think of something I don't like about this game but I honestly can't. This is one of those games that manages to do everything right from the get go. It's fun and enjoyable. The music is well orchestrated. I could go on and on but I fear no one would actually read it to the end! Nintendo have managed to have everything going on all at once but not clutter the screen. I know I haven't mentioned much on gameplay so I'm just going to list my three favourite things: 

Kirby...Just eating bros.

1. Having a Pokemon battle where you just put on Poke ball drops. 

2. Managing to slowly make my way back on the platform only to roll and smash the opponent into oblivion and win! 

3. Making Game vs Game matches. E.g. Mario and Bowser vs Link and Ganondorf. 

If anyone has any comments please leave some! Let me know your favourite Super Smash Bros. Moments! 

O.E.G 

@theOEGamer

Oo There Goes Chicken Chaser!

So with the release of Fable Anniversary I thought it was only fitting to do a review/ blog/ ramble about how much I love this game. I'll mention the changes that I've noticed first then finish with some gameplay and story, considering not much has changed in those aspects.

Fable Anniversary is a reboot of the 2004 release of Fable: The Lost Chapters. Not much has been changed from the original in the way of gameplay but the graphics and sounds have all been upgraded. The story follows you, starting off as a young boy and slowly growing into a hero, either for better or for worse. The phase as a young boy gives you a feel for the game and what to expect (a tutorial if you will!) but the consequences of your actions do still appear later on in the game. 

From the get go one of the big stand outs of this game is the voice. It's clear, even back in 2004, that LionheadStudios spent time on perfecting the voices. And obviously they sound much clearer on Fable Anniversary. Even the villagers who mock or cheer for you as you walk past sound genuine. When you first hear the Guildmaster speak to you through the Guild Seal, the small reverb and echo makes it sound magical! He does still ramble though. I know my health is low, I'm aware of the blood loss! 

The music as well compliments each area as you'd expect. If it's a village or town the music is happy and joyous. A battle, the sound of a deep bass rumbles throughout. An eerie house, creepy violins. These little things helps make the game complete. 

Even the creatures sound larger than life. When I first heard the Balverine howl, it sent shivers down my spine! The squabbling of Hobbes in the caves is both humourous and terrifying! (N.B: I haaaaate Hobbes). But one of my favourite sounds is the torque of a bow being held. It just sounds right, and just as the shot is released, something is gunna die. 

The next big change is the graphics (obviously). All the character models are crisp. The armour, especially the bright and dark varieties, look magical! I mean look above at the small intricacies on the shoulder pauldrons! The green cloth even has patterns running through it! Another big change is the demons doors. They now look part of the wall and, dare I say it (DARE!) some sort of real. The environment as well has had a massive face lift! The shimmering water does look real, the ivy and moss actually seem like they've been there for years growing! Last thing I want to mention is the magic. My favourite is the force push. Remember that scene in Matrix where the helicopter crashed into the building? It reminds me of a sped up version of that when I use it! I could rattle on but as the old saying goes, a picture paints a thousand words. It is safe to say though, all the models, be it the water, a Balverine or a fireball, look fantastic! 

 "Bandit...Meet Death!"

 

 "Pants...Filled!"

 So lets get down to it. The gameplay. Like mentioned, not much has changed. And honestly...thank Christ! It didn't need changing. X is attack, and the player holds it for a strong attack. Y is your bow. B is magic. The player can cycle through his magic by holding RT and unleash some destruction! For each type of kill you'll get additional XP which you spend to upgrade your character and make him a muscle bound freak. Because, if I'm honest, I wouldn't want some skinny little pushover arriving at my village if it's getting overrun by Balverine's! Get your ass to the gym and come back once your benching 220 (although...everyone would be dead...). When your not out saving the world you can do other things like; buy a house, get married, massacre an encampment. The list goes on!

I want to mention the story and tell you all how amazing it is! And that some of the choices make you put down the controller and phone a friend (no 50:50 I'm afraid). Or that some of the set pieces will leave you gobsmacked! But alas, I'm not going to. It would ruin the surprise and the story and I hate doing that! All I'll say though, out of all the Fable's, this is by far the best one, in my opinion. I like the second (third...not so much) but I don't think it'll give me the same amount of joy that this one has given me!


Comment and follow me a twitter and give me some love, @TheOEGamer.
Cheers.

O.E.G.

Back to the Murder.

So after playing Viva Pinata and the past few reviews/ blogs I've been doing have been about happy happy games, I've decided to get back to my manly routes and play a game full of shooting, and killing. And chainsaw guns!

Gears...of...WAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Everyone's played this right? Unless: a) You're a Playstation fan boy b) You've been living under a rock  c) You're dead. G.O.W came out in 2006 a year after the release of the Xbox360 and this was solely the reason I (and I assume many others) bought a 360. The game is a sci-fi shooter for those of you that don't know...you know what? I'm pretty sure you all know the fucking plot! Made by Epic games it was, in my opinion, the first decent next gen game.

The story can be played singularly, local and online co-op. The game starts with Marcus Fenix (played by the great John DiMaggio...he did Bender as well!) in a prison cell being busted out by his long time buddy Dom. They are part of these nails mo' fuckas called the Gears. Kinda like the Special Forces of this universe. And then it's up to the player to control Marcus through the world stopping the Locust (sci-fi orcs?) using a wide array of weapons. The set pieces in the game were amazing. The combination of the over the shoulder camera, the sound effects and the areas just made me genuinely feel nervous! All I was thinking when getting chased is," I can't turn round to look because you have to stop to do that...so fuck that."

                 "Surprise! Cock fag!"

Presentation wise the game was, and still is sound. Sure there's a few frame drop issues but apart from that I can't complain. This ruined world, surrounded by death and war was beautiful to look at. Every time you fought in an area it felt like truly daunting, due to the seer size and scale of the place. I enjoyed the parts where the game slowed down for the plot and to show off the designs of certain areas. The character models were all unique and the Locust characters, especially the grenadiers, were fucking terrifying! But when you're controlling a dude wearing power armour wielding a chainsaw gun and you've cut that brute in half? That fear gets replaced with excitement (errrrrection!). And when you do it for the first time...you feel unstoppable. 

So with that in mind we shall delve into the combat. It's cover system was awesome. Simple to use. Hard to master. If there were two of you on co-op, you could have constant fire barraging the enemy. Obviously Epic covered the recoil of each weapon, so on extreme difficulty, your shots had to count! They developed a reload system that if you pressed at certain point, you would reload faster and have a small damage boost, which could be the decider in a multiplayer match. Then the best part. The fucking melee!!!!

                  "DOOOOOOOMMM!"

I know I already mentioned this but only briefly. In G.O.W's you can shoot the enemies legs to cripple them so you're able to get close (story and multiplayer) then, depending on the weapon, you can kill them in a sort of fatalility. Clearly the best was cutting someone in half with a chainsaw. Or you could equip a shotgun and smash their head in with a golf swing! Or attach a frag grenade to them and watch them blow up! OR execute them up close with a bolt pistol which made their head explode! 

Now if you aren't aware (but I'm sure the last paragraph has made it clear) the game was brutal. Limbs flying all over using grenades or the hammer of dawn (sorta like a light beam weapon from the sky). Heads left in pieces from a headshot from a sniper rifle or bolt pistol. It made playing online that more sweeter when you won, watching your foes explode or collapse from gunfire. 

So Playstation fan boys, and dead people/ ghosts/ zombies, with the release of the Xbox One the first Gears should be relatively cheap to pick up. Go out and get it and play through an Epic (no pun intended). I should also mention this is one of the very few games I played online so I highly recommend it to anyone! 

Hope you enjoyed! 

Leave me a comment! 

O.E.G. 

Guns? Big Guns? I'm More of a Pinata Man!

In the gaming world today, many things revolve around blowing the shit into something (I'm looking at you Call of Dooty and BertleField), but don't you just sometimes wanna step back from it all and play something with less violence and objectives?


Yes you do! This isn't to say I don't like running around and chopping people in half or cruising around Los Santos knocking foo's out! Sometimes its just nice to sort out your garden and raise some pinata's.

Viva Fudgin' Whackin' Pinata! Look at those sexy colours! This game only breeds happy thoughts! I picked this up for about 2 quid and I'm super happy I did! It's a sandbox like harvest moon. Story??? Not to sure. Do you need one?! Sort out your garden and get some piñata's, which in this game are like wild animals.
So it starts out you inherit this land but it's a proper shithole, and as you progress you get different equipment which can be upgraded. The piñata's are caught by meeting certain requirements, so obviously the first ones you meet are simple ones. For example for a worm you need to have decent grass. All the wild piñata's are black and white and when they become part of your garden they become bright and vivid. (Addendum: all the piñata's have super cute names!)

You need to buy habitat's on top of the requirements and then you can breed them. The breeding game is the only bit I wasn't to keen on if I'm honest. You have to navigate the pinata through an "obstacle" course (I use that term loosely) and then an egg is dropped off by a stalk like chick.  

You can decorate the garden however you want. Putting in fire lamps attracts moths. Make a pond and then in comes frogs. Simple, easy stuff. Your garden expands after a while so you can fit in more and more stuuuff! 

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

The characters in the game can help you in certain ways. There's this bloke who just looooves nuts (phrasing)! And he'll just give you them if you talk to him. You can have some chick come and look after your seeds and fruit. I never used her just so I didn't have to spend money. I'm a tight ass. Then there's the evil dude who makes sour piñata's which try to come and ruin your day. You can either kill them or even better, make them transform into a pinata for your garden!
You also get tasks where you earn money (and achievements) if you finish them. It's usually someone needs a specific type of pinata, so the player needs to put them in a crate and send them off. Easy enough, but it's not forced upon you (one is but its a tutorial) so you can choose to do what you want within the game essentially, or when to take the tasks. 

This guy looooves nuts...ladies...stand back.

Lastly but not least is the best part of the game, it's presentation. It. Is. AMAZING! When you start getting more and more pinata's in your garden it's nice to sit back and admire it's beauty. Seriously. I absolutely hate that word but there isn't any other word to describe it. The different colours of the pinata's just complement the whole screen perfectly. The music is just small background noise which is fine but the game shines with its looks and presentation. 

Right well in conclusion if you can find this game cheap and fancy a break from all the violence of games today you should definitely do it. It is a gorgeous thing to look at and the colours will probably cheer you up. And if you're tripping balls it'll probably be amazing. 

O.E.G.

Naughty Dogs and Evil Weasels.

Last year I bought a PS Vita. It's a really good bit of kit and I enjoy playing and its design...oh and the games are pretty decent. So far I own four games for that system. I own two games from downloads. Now the problem with this is I prefer the games that I've downloaded. One being Final Fantasy 7 (http://theoptimisticenglishgamer.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/memorable-memories.html ,mentioned in last month's blog) and the other being Jak and Daxter.
If you've noticed, I have a running theme with these blogs. Its that I love old school games. I do like new games as well, don't get me wrong. G.T.A. V and Red Dead are fucking awesome games. As well as Sleeping Dogs and XCOM: Enemy Unknown. But at the moment I'm stuck in this loop of playing older games. So without further adieu!

 Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy! Released in 2001 by Naughty Dogs and one of the first games I bought/ got with my PS2. It gives me that same sense of innocence that games give you at a young age, as well as the exploration factor that comes with these open world games. Jak and Daxter opens with Jak (crazy haired boy) and his buddy Daxter traveling to the mysterious Misty Island, despite warnings from this old dude with clogs. They end up seeing an army of Lurkers (bad looking gremlin fuckers) and attempt to escape the place. But not before some plot happens! Jak's buddy gets knocked into some dark eco which transforms him into... da da da daaaaaaaa... a ferret with a mouth on him. Or weasel, whatever.
The player takes over after the duo get a bollocking from Clogs McGee (old man), and are told to collect power cells to advance and help the old man. From the get go the player gets a sense of how big the world actually is. Even the first area - where you're told there is more places to explore - is still pretty big. A little thing I like is if you try and swim off the island a giant fish comes and eats you. This idea is used in Banjo Kazooie and is much better than the invisible wall bullshit!
You can speak to the locals who have some fantastic accents and witty dialog, which I still find funny to this day (I am a big kid though...not fat. I meant in the mind). The locals give you tasks to do and in return give you a power cell. This can be anything from rounding up sheep, to bringing them 50 orbs (the egg thing on the box art).

Da Fuq is that Brah!!?!!?

The controls feel quite tight as well and has the usual controls you'd expect on a platformer. Jump, two types of attacks, sprint and you can launch objects during certain areas with the shoulder button. There is also a power up station, where you are able to run faster and do more damage to enemies. There's some boss battles as well which are well thought out and good fun. There's even a build up to them which makes it that more special! The main focus of the game is to collect things though. Now you may think this sounds a bit boring, but I enjoy it! Even playing it now I find a compelling urge to collect everything in an area.
In certain areas you have to ride a hover bike whilst attempting to collect orbs and not die (I suck at these parts and find some of them difficult or maybe its just me). This ranges from the grassy plains to skimming over lava and trying to keep the engine cooled at the same time by flying through water balloons...yeah...It's legit. You even ride a giant bird like thing (sort of ostrich-esque) which is epic fun!

"DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNNNKKKKKK!"

Lastly is the graphics and how the game looks. Once again I have to mention the scale of the game. The vast green on the plains looks stunning. The vibrant blue and yellow of Jak stands out in all the backgrounds, even the underwater level. And the strong reds of the volcanic areas are lush. Essentially a good looking game, especially for its time. I don't remember thinking at any part that this game looks shitty and I was literally playing it five minutes ago (it was on the remastered edition though).
I have to admit I don't really pay attention to the soundtrack on this game so I can't comment. Maybe I'm too engrossed in the game. Or maybe I turned the music off, I can't remember.

For those that haven't played Jak and Daxter (any of them) you should! They just re-released it on the PS network. They're good fun and remind me of the old school bests like Mario 64 and Crash Bandicoot! And I think they're up the top with them!

Like and comment and tell your friends!
Cheers.

O.E.G.

Naruto vs Goku.

So I'm aware that it's been waaay to long since I last posted one up but I've been fairly busy with work and then it was Christmas and I spent two weeks completely intoxicated! But hopefully I can try and bang one out (phrasing) once a month from here on in! Anyways Enjoy!!

Rasengan or Kamehameha?

Personally for me...I'd probably say Goku but that was just because it was the first I'd seen and so its like a precious childhood memory for moi (plus he can destroy planets)! However a few years ago I started watching Naruto I gotta admit...It's pretty fucking cool! I started enjoying it so much I bought an old Xbox game called Naruto: Rise of the Ninja. It more or less went through the story of how Naruto came about and gives the player a good insight to the universe. Annnnyways, fast forward to last week, I'd been playing G.T.A. V religiously and instead of ruining the game by over playing it I went to my local Game shop and found Naruto: The Broken Bond. So Guess where this blog is going?!?!

Yes, you've guessed it! It's relatively cheap as well since its about five years old. The sequel to rise of the ninja takes place during the attack on the leaf village. Its starts with you fighting Orochimaru (big bad dude), whilst you play as the Third Hokage(Old lad legend). This is just a tutorial but an awesome one! The game does use quick time events throughout the game, however they are fairly sparse and I did find myself enjoying them. After the tutorial you end up controlling Naruto but are able to switch to the other characters who are on the squad too. This ranges from Sasuke (black haired boy on the box) to Choji (a small fat child). Each one of the characters has a special ability which can be used throughout the open world in the single player to unlock certain areas and rewards. For example you can use Kiba's ability and transform into his dog which can fit under certain areas to pull switches and collect coins (YAAAAS!).

The two main areas which the game shines the most is the combat system (obviously) and the graphics and artwork. The combat system works well. You have a jump button, light attack, strong attack, block and one of the shoulder buttons allows you to perform jutsu's (special abilities). The combat is well done I think, and using the block at the exact moment essentially turns into a counter. If you hit a combo the screen does this class thing where Japanese writing appears in red and the background turns black and white. Sounds strange but it works well, telling the player, "yeah! you landed a fucking sweeet combo brah!"
The special abilities in the combat system is where the player can use tactics. The player just holds down the left trigger and, using both analog sticks, matches a hand pattern to pull off one of the sweet ass moves! You can either charge it up making it stronger, or use it more or less straight away but still dealing a fair bit of damage. But your chakra (power gauge) is shared in the party, so if you use it all at once you kinda screw yourself over.

A snake, a snail and a frog walk into a bar...

So lastly we come onto where I think the game shines the most. Its art style. Like some of the D.B.Z games, I just love the art style used on these games. They're crisp. They're sleek. Just look at that slug! Fuck yeah! And it's in HD which makes it that more sexier. I would say more about it but I think the picture does it justice...you know what...here's another!

 Creepy Ginger Guy,"Come children...I won't hurt you."

Naruto whispers,"first chance we get...kick him in the balls."

I can't really find many faults with the game to be honest. The only one that creeps up is when you want to go from area to area you have to guide Naruto through checkpoints in the trees. It's cool at first but it gets extremely tedious I found. But to make up for it the music is straight from the anime and sounds well presented on the console. They've even done the Japanese and English voices for the characters so you can choose your preference if you can't be bothered reading.

So Naruto: The Broken Bond. If you're a fan of the show. This is definitely not to be missed! If you've played Rise of the Ninja this much like that, but better! So buy, buy, buy!


O.E.G

Top Five! Rockstar Characters

Yes! It's a top five! Rockstar have made some top characters throughout the years within their games and instead of me trying to decide on the top five games, It's going to be the characters. I have spent quite a bit of time going back and forth on this so without further ado....MY TOP FIVE! *There may be some spoilers, but I'm not going to say look away because that would defeat the purpose of said blog!*



No. 5 - 8 Ball

I think that 8 Ball deserves to be on the list. Sure, people will probably think of more deserving (Max Payne? see below), however, 8 Ball is the very first character everyone met when playing G.T.A. III and delivers one hell of a memorable line! I still remember to this day.
"I know a place on the edge of the Red Light district where we can lay low, but my hands are all messed up, so you better drive brother!"
8 Ball, you're a legend.










No. 4 - James 'Jimmy' Hopkins

This loveable little scamp is Jimmy Hopkins from Bully (or Canis Canem Edit). Whilst the game is somewhat like a G.T.A game, it manages to hold its own. Jimmy is dropped off at a new school, and is instantly the outsider. I felt I warmed to Jimmy because in certain ways I could relate to him. We've all been there, the new kid at a new school, new surroundings and that's where the attachment comes. But unlike us Jimmy created the gap of the things we all wanted to do at school, be it beating the tough jock, or stealing the girl from the greasers. However, I'm sure none of us as a kid had dared to think of scraping on the scaffolding on top of their school, in what seems like, a fight to the death!






No. 3 - John Marston

We've all played Red Dead Redemption, and Rockstar did a perfect job of capturing the feeling of the wild west. The grit. The grime. The shootouts. And then we have this gent. John Marston. He a perfect portrayal (in my eyes) of a man. He owns a farm. He has multiple guns, smokes and drinks like a boss, and has words of wisdom for every man! But the best thing about him and why he's earned this spot is his death. Like an ultimate man, he walks out of a barn towards an entire posse of armed men, accepts it with grace and even manages to take some to hell with him before being killed in a hail of gunfire. Look up man in the dictionary and this grizzled chap will be staring right back at you.





No. 2 - Trevor Philips

 Yes. Trevor's in the list people! We all know him from that new game G.T.A V, but does he deserve to be this high on the list? Fuck yes! Why, some of you cry? Trevor is that person who will act out what he's thinking, regardless of the consequence. There was never a dull moment whilst playing as him. Even when you switch to him from one of the other characters, he's doing something random. Dressed as a lady, drunk. Wandering round Los Santos in pants, drunk. Surrounded by corpses on an island, drunk. The list goes on. I was always intrigued to see what he would do next and lets face it, who hasn't wanted to just lose it sometimes?





Drum roll! 

No. 1 - Tommy Vercetti

That's right ladies and gentleman. Tommy Vercetti. I even managed to spell the name correctly on the first attempt. Voiced by Ray Liotta, this guy made some memorable times for me and I'm sure others. Tommy seemed to me like a larger than life character, always moving forward and making it big. His temper was something to note, especially at the end when all hell breaks loose in an ultimate royal rumble. And this victor? This macho mother fucker!









Honourable Mention

Max Payne.

Yeah I know I probably should have put him in, and if it was a top ten he'd definitely be number 6. But honestly, I've only played the third and felt I couldn't just use that version of Max. I remember how brutal the first and second were but I think I was more focused on the gameplay at the time and I was just watching a friend play bits! So apologies internet!





Right well there you go, my top five Rockstar characters. If anyone has any different leave a comment and let me know. Next top five? Suggestions welcome.

O.E.G

Insert Funny Comment...............

Random Nostalgia.

If there's one thing I love, its monsters. Another thing I love is wars...If these two joined forces in a video game I'd probably lose my shit...What? It's been done? You're shitting me!?! 

No I am not avid fans (all 3 of you) or random reader who enjoys monsters beating the hell out of each other through cities. Have I got a surprise for you! So after watching Pacific Rim a while back my love for monsters and giant robots was re-ignited, then like a light switch, my brain reminded me of a classic.

War of the Monsters! 

Look at that box art! I think that was actually the sole reason of my purchase as a kid. I'd heard nothing about it but the box art was so mesmerising to me I bought this instantly. A gorilla fighting a robot...what's not to like?! The initial cut scene is more or less shot like an old school sci-fi film, where aliens have invaded so them good ol' science like folk have made something which can make bugs and animals grow and use them to fight their battles! What ensues is ultimate carnage like that of a giant electric eyeball (legit) fighting a preying mantis in, what essentially is, Vegas!

So the fundamentals of this game is that its a beat em up. There's a single player where you play as each of the characters fighting all the others and when you complete it, you unlock a new character! After the single player we have multiplayer! Obviously the screen splits into two, or four if you had the adapter..and friends (I didn't) when the game starts. However when the characters get close to one another, the screen merges seamlessly into one. Now I'm sure this has been done this before in a game previous to this, but this was the first time I'd seen it and it blew...my...mind!

The graphics for a game which in now about 10 years old isn't that bad. The character models are well done and thought out and all different in their own way, just like us! You have eight characters to choose from, plus two unlockables. There is a few homages towards some classic sci-fi monsters, like Godzilla and King Kong but the developers manage to make them their own. Even the character select screen is well thought out. When you click on each character it appears as a movie poster. Then the loading screen IS a movie poster, accompanied by a witty pun. Where would a movie poster be without a pun? Am I right?!?

"Fus-Ro-DAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Another reason why I love this game, is the soundtrack. It's badass! It manages to portray the epic battle that is unfolding in front of you're very eyes! It uses the classic sounds from the movies but with a twist of electric guitar and other accoutrements. I'm actually listening to the soundtrack as I write this! The link below is just one of the songs which helps make the game awesome! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jopmhcK_TOY

Like most fighters, we have a jump button, a grab button, attack and a shoot. The player can combine certain ones to make a special move. You can also hold the attack button to charge attacks, which you can use to create combos (x, x hold x to slam for example...disclaimer: that isn't a combo...it's the jump button). You can also pick up objects and hurl them and a 110 ft insect until there's nothing left but guts and glory. But unlike most beat-em-ups, the player can move freely in the levels, to say, oh i don't know, climb a building, pick up a radio antenna and impale your foe! This used to be one of my favourite things to do. It also pissed off my brother and one friend when playing cause I used this tactic a fair bit. Another one of my favourite things in this game is the destructible environment. What would a monster game be like if you couldn't throw someone through a building? That's right, a shit one! There is nothing more satisfying than picking up a giant gorilla and launching it into buildings until they crumble.

So to sum this game up.

Monsters + Destructible buildings/ environments + impaling fools + kick-ass soundtrack = One sweet mother fucking game which everyone needs to play! I had so much fun as a kid and even 10 years later when I revisited (and re-bought) it, I still managed to have so much fun and not from nostalgic glasses. It's a good and well thought out game, one that needs to be done again!

O.E.G.

The Beginning. (Warning: I shall cuss!)

The Optimistic English Gamer - The Beginning.

With a wide variety of games to choose from, be it a RPG or a first person shooter, its easy to criticise the work. These graphics! This gameplay! This fucking level!!!! What I notice is that people find it hard to appreciate a game. I mean, ok, I am aware that some games are just awful. An example I hear you cry. Very well, Bubsy 3D, is horrific. I'm not going to go into it, but just search some gameplay footage and watch. You'll be amazed at how bad a game can be made. Anyways, digressing away from my point, I want to mention games which I think are underrated but deserve some attention for the work that has clearly been put it. Most of them you may have heard of but probably refused to play, or even started playing and thought,"Well fuck this! This ain't nothing on Bubsy!" But stick with me and I'll try and change your mind. Alright lets get started.

So we're going to start with this beauty. Kane and Lynch: Dead Men. This was released waaay back in 2007, the same year as Halo 3 and Chibi-Robo! Park Patrol! Kane and Lynch got some pretty mixed reviews, ranging from a 3/10 to an 8/10. Now just to clarify I'll only be covering the single player and co-operative (I kinda suck at multiplayer games). I actually played this when it first came out round at a mates house, but the controls felt so awkward to me and the graphics are just so so, I only played the first level. But that was a mistake on my part. I was naive and young! Then a few years later someone recommended it to me when I was on an achievement whore binge (who wasn't, am I right?!) So I put on my big boy pants and set to it. From the get go I was slightly frustrated at the graphics and controls, again, but I buckled on down and went head first.

I now fucking, love....LOVE this game. OK yes, the controls suck, but my God! This has one of my favourite story lines in any game! Nay, Maybe in any film! Not exactly a unique story but it is told uniquely. You play as Kane, who's in prison for being a badass (well...manslaughter) and meets a fine gentleman by the name of Lynch, who is bat shit crazy. He does, however, inform our protagonist of a breakout.
After completing your breakout with Lynch you're taken to a construction site where you meet "The 7"! Cue dramatic music! They say you've stolen some money and have to get it back for them otherwise they kill your wife and daughter.
So you end up going to do a bank job and this is where I fell in love with the game. It all seems to be going well but Lynch ends up going mental and starts murdering all the hostages. Now at this time I was playing it through with my brother and he was playing as Lynch. He started freaking out saying the building was overrun with the police and started shooting EVERYONE! When I came upstairs from the vault, all I saw was all floor decorated with the bodies of the hostages, so naturally I thought my brother was just goofing with me. The ball starts rolling and you end up having a shootout through the streets, much like the film Heat (if no-one has seen this, please watch it). The game channels you along but in such a way it feels as if the way you're going is your only option. The rapport that Kane and Lynch have is very fragile through this entire scenario. The developers obviously put a lot of time and effort into this and you can tell from the dialog. At one point you cut through a pedestrian area, and once again my brother starts just fucking up everyone!
"What the fuck are you doing?!!", I screamed at him.
"Can you not see all the coppers?!". When I look over to his side of the screen, Lynch is seeing everyone as a policeman and so my brother starts taking names. Once again, I love this solely for the reason that it gives the player an insight into why Lynch is absolutely nuts, and it manages to bring over that craziness from the single player into to the Co-op seamlessly. From this moment on, I forgot all the negative points about the game. I was so enthralled to see how the rest of the game would pan out from here.

 "For the last time! Cut your fucking hair!"

Now without trying to spoil the rest, the story takes an incredible turn, and honestly I didn't expect it. This could be why I love it so much. It sucks you, the player, into the story, actually making you want to know whats going to happen and that's what a game should do. Entice the player into their world and I'm glad it did. Kane and Lynch are an odd pair but nevertheless you grow to love 'em. You end up in a wide variety of places, from Tokyo to Havana...and construction sites! Yeah!
The night club mission is awesome. Making you shoot your way out with civilians in the midst of it all, adding to chaos that already surrounds the characters. You start the mission by wandering through the club towards the managers office and its very well done. The player really get a feel for the environment and the change in atmospherics, from booty bouncing to guns blazing, seems to happen in an instance.
Even the ending (once again I'm trying my hardest to refrain from spoiling anything) has two different ways to be played out. Each one gives the story a different view (surprisingly) and after completing one of them I actually resented myself for the choice. The game in total is roughly about 6 hours long but its just right to convey the story across without being to long drawn. And just like the game I'm going to sum this up before it becomes the babbling of a mad man...more so than it is.

So there you have it. Kane and Lynch: Dead Men, a truly awesome game. There's even a number two (Dog Days) where you play and Lynch and get to do a mission naked...if that's your thing. But aside from that fact the story in that is once again a masterpiece, it works as an experience that you will have a plethora of emotions for. So I implore you, random reader! To play both games. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and much like a book, you'll be incredibly happy but upset that the game had to finish.


Thanks for reading.

More to come in the future . OEG.