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. 

Fiv... Sh*t TEN Fun Games!

After having a discussion with a housemate about how games seem to have veered away from actually being fun and turned into a graphics contest and how close to reality they can get. I've decided to make a list of recent (ish) games which I think are fun and enjoyable to play! It was initially five but then after FURTHER discussions with my other housemate (@larky1990), it's the biiig TEN! 

10. Lego Star Wars.

What better than Star Wars? Oh that's right.. Playing them as Lego. I had so much fun revisiting all the major set pieces as a Lego character and discovering new areas with each one ( buuuuuy it. Gooble gobble).

9. Fez. 

A 2D man in a 3D world. Yes it was challenging but still a whole lotta fun at the same time. It was unique with such a large depth and scale. And when you first turn the world and see a whole new world (started singing Aladdin there), and a different perspective opens before you, it was simply breathtaking. Come on Phil Fish. Make no. 2 without blowing yourself up. 

8. Skate.

OPM - heaven is a half pipe. Yes! OPM. Skate made that mechanic that appeared in Tony Hawks next gen ( project 8) and turned it into a spectacular game. I spent hours on both 1 and 2 perfecting lines with my buddy. Yeah... I have friends (statement may not actually be true). 

7. Saints Row 3.

GTA on roids and snorting cocaine whilst pooping out of a plane. I know. It's the perfect analogy for how insane this game was. They took all the crazy ideas that people had thought up and put them in one giant game. Nothing beats sucking up pedestrians in a cannon and launching them to the moon. 

6. Burnout: Paradise.

Launching a car over a jump at 160 mph on a bridge would sound dangerous. But not in Burnout Paradise. Fuck yeah! This game ruled. One of the few driving games with co-op and done well. It was always fun cruising round with Friends... and ramming them into a wall. Lol. Rofl. 

5. Broforce. 

This game. I fucking love it! I've already written about this in a previous blog saying how much fun it is to tackle a horde of enemies with your buddies and destroy the world in the process. And it's still not even finished! Which means there's more BRO's to be released and more levels! Win. Win. Win. 

4. Crackdown.

One of the first games I got with my Xbox 360. Crackdown lets you pick up cars and hurtle them towards unsuspecting enemies. You could jump up skyscrapers in seconds, kill the enemy atop then raise him above your head to show your kill. Theeeeen throw him off and watch his body bounce! (Mini chortle). Even collecting the orbs seemed satisfying to me and when they released the harpoon gun, I loved killing my mate then pinning him to walls. I know...I'm a bastard. 

3. Portal 1 and 2.

Portal always gets high praise and why shouldn't it. It's funny, challenging, addictive and different. Walking into a test chamber you would stare at the obstacle before you and assess how to take it on. Then in Two you could play co-op (I LOVE CO-OP). And it was always fun to make the infinity loop and fall forever! 

2. Super Mario 3D World.

I love my WiiU. Even more so with each purchase. And this purchase was no exception. Join Mario and the gang in an adventure through 8+ worlds. Each level is fun and vibrant and immerses the player in each world. The fact you can dress as a cat is just a happy positive. The music is nothing to be ignored either. It brings that happy feeling and is incredibly memorable. But my favourite part was Bowser's World. Travelling up the pipe and seeing this colourful land stand before you is something definitely worth seeing. 

1. Rayman: Legends.

Granted, you may not rate this as your number one BUT holy shit it should at least be in the top three. I'd never played a Rayman and it was my Brother who showed me this and I'm glad he did. It plays as a platformer and is definitely one of the best. The backgrounds to each stage are beauties to look at. Tight controls. The levels themselves challenging and with Ubisoft constantly releasing daily challenges, it keeps the game fresh. The best. THE BEST part though? At the end of each world is a music level where you have to run and jump in time to the music through various obstacles and enemies. It. Is. Awesome!!!! I've showed everyone who has passed by my house and each person has commented on how much fun the game is. If this game was a barrel.. It would be full of laughs (Idiom of the day). 

Cheers for reading. More soon...keep a look out for a YouTube channel! 

O.E.G

@TheOEGamer. 

Who Thought Fishing Could Be So Much Fun.

I've never been much of a fan of fishing. It has never appealed to me, although I've tried it. But Ridiculous Fishing is (excuse the pun) a different kettle of fish. Its a simple enough game but very addictive none the less.

PLOT.
You're a fisherman...

GAMEPLAY.
The object is to catch as many fish as possible to make money. Each species of fish is worth a different amount and after catching so many you unlock a new area. So, the player casts his line by tapping the screen and attempts to avoid fish as the line descends. You move the line by tilting the phone left and right. Easy right? WRONG. It's not as easy as it sounds. The screen is littered with fish and if you've just start and hit one, the line begins to ascend. It's one of those games that annoys you but you feel compelled to attempt it again. When the line reaches its max (or you reach the lowest depth) the line begins to retract and this is where the player must catch as many fish as possible. Also at the maximum depth is a special prized fish which is worth biiiiig bucks! Playing R.F around anyone who doesn't know you/ know what you're doing, you kinda look mental throwing your phone left and right making girly noises avoiding le fish.


So you've caught countless fish and you think you're finished??? Oh you small minded knave! You must now pull out your weapon of choice (mini-gun anyone?) and blow them away as they rain down from the heavens! This is not like shooting fish in a barrel though...oh no! By tapping on the screen the fish will cease to live...BUT you do get cash money! Silver linings and all that! There are also jellyfish (look left. Or up if you're using the all...there's one!) that if you shoot, gives you a negative score, so avoid them as you pull the line back!
 The player can spend the money on upgrades for the line so it can descend faster, weapons, and longer lines to reach the depths of the various stages.









PRESENTATION.
 Not much to say on this if I'm honest. The pixel art is good and the different types of fish are mostly different colours. The backgrounds are colourful though and vary on each stage. Not to say I don't like it though... That's my thoughts... Deal with it!

SOUND.
The sounds are done retro style. Each stage has a different sound - my favourite being the home waters stage - and are pleasant and easy to listen to. It's only about 30 - 40 seconds played on a loop but its nice enough and gives off a relaxed sort of atmosphere as the line dwells deeper into the abyss. As the line is retrieved, the music plays backwards and quicker with another small, jaunty tune to accompany it. Then as you fling the fish to the skies the music takes a turn again to a deeper and evvvvvviiiiilllllll sound as you kill all the fishy's! When you catch fish there is a sound but my vocabulary doesn't have the correct word to describe a low "whoop" sound and make it sound smart and fancy.















SUMMARY.
Ridiculous Fishing is one of those games you have to buy if you have a spare 2 quid (and I'm sure you all do!) and have a spare five minutes on your hands. Careful though. This small amount of procrastination can turn into hours as I found out attempting to unlock everything! An enjoyable little game, and a soundtrack you'll be hooked on! Definitely worth the money. Internet...Go buy. Do my bidding! Or end up like the thousands of fish I have slaughtered in the dreary night sky.


+Greg Wohlwend
@Vlambeer
Well done on the game! Certainly the cream of the crop...or some fish pun!

Cheers,

O.E.G
@TheOEGamer

Thoughts of E3...Top Five?

Well E3 has been and gone for another year but this year certainly has left many gamers clawing for some of those sexy, sexy games. Here's a quick list of my top five:

5. Mirror's Edge 2.

Although it's just been work in progress, I'm still super excited for this title. The first worked so well with the movement and, from the sounds of things, Dice are making multiple routes and upgrading Faith's movement. Hurry up and show me more!!

4. Assassin's Creed: Unity.

Four player Assassin's Creed co-op...need I say anymore?? 

3. Super Smash Bros.

More characters...extra Pokemon. And my favourite...Little Mac!! My purchase of a WiiU has not been in vain dear readers!  

2. Mortal Kombat X.

I have been a fan of MK ever since I played the first one on my game boy many moons ago. The new one...holy shit! The backgrounds: amazing. The characters: amazing. The fatalities: amazing! I know for a fact I'm not the only one hyped about this!!

1. The Division.

Of all the next gen games this takes the top prize. It's not a remake or remastered. It's something new and different. The new gameplay trailer looks smooth and gorgeous. When the player is hiding behind the bus stop you can see the indentations from the bullets (it's the little things). So far, this game looks like a masterpiece. And we still have to wait until December or next year! Plenty of time to smooth any issues which seem few and far between. This will be one of the only reasons for me buying either a XboxOne or PS4.

Cheers, 

O.E.G. 

@theoegamer. 

Screaming In Public Isn't Allowed...Apparently.

Whilst being stuck at work (I work away from home) and having no internet again AND leaving my brand spanking WiiU alone in my house with my house mates (I swear to god, if my save file of Windwaker is gone. https://twitter.com/Mr_Lee1990 I will literally chop off your balls) I decided to browse the games installed on my laptop and found this.

Dead Space! I must admit, I am not comfortable playing any type of horror game (just check my review of Home, a pixel game which scared the shit outta me) so for me to actually play this is an achievement in itself. It was released back in 2008 and, although we now have next gen, still a bloody (pun) good looking game. Set on the USG Ishimura, you play as Isaac Clarke, a space engineer who has inadvertently been dropped in the proverbial shit.

GAMEPLAY.

This was during the time where over-the-shoulder camera was being used to full effect and I gotta say... Dead Space does it incredibly well. The fact you can only see the direction which you're facing, increases the atmosphere by ten fold when you're being chased or suspect something is in a room with you. 

The gameplay consists of enemies that weak points are limbs which you cut off with various weapons. If I'm honest I only use the starter weapon because it's upgradable and becomes incredibly powerful. You use nodes to upgrade the suit, weapons and the stasis module. The stasis module helps slow down enemies and there's a kenesis module which let's you pick up items round the environment. The enemies come in different shapes and sizes and all are terrifying. They will crawl out of vents and attempt to rip your face off or try and drag you away into the abyss of the ship. If you are grabbed the game gives you a chance to escape by mashing buttons until Isaac gives it the old boot. The freakiest enemy though, in my opinion, is the babies with tentacles. They look horrifying and crawl on walls. They scream at you and fire fucking projectiles. I never want babies in case this scenario unfolds before me.

NOOOOOOOOOPEEE! 

PRESENTATION.

Dead Space looks amazing. Some of the best parts are in space when you can see all the stars glittering beyond the destruction of the ship. And in these areas all the sounds are muffled to give the player the feeling of being in space, the only accompanying sound is Isaac's increasingly harsh breathing. All the enemies are well drawn but the presentation of the blood on the walls and everywhere else, including body parts, brings the atmospherics of the ship to an eerie high. The only issue I've had is if a corpse is in a lift with me, it glitches into the ground but it's forgivable. The map system, and inventory are done through the suit, so the game doesn't pause, so picking a quiet spot is usually best. The suits can be upgraded in time and 

SOUND.

One of my favourite parts in any game! The sound! Dead Space makes good use of "no sound in space". During the parts where the player has to explore or move on the outside of the ship, all the sounds are muffled to give the player the feeling of being in space; the only accompanying sound is Isaac's increasingly harsh breathing. The music is the first thing to notice on Dead Space. The violins are played off key and make a horrible screeching noise which accompanies Isaac through the ship. This makes the player feel constantly on edge...well it certainly did for me! 

SUMMARY. 

Dead Space certainly knows how to scare the shit out of people and I am no exception. From the terrifying enemies (especially the babies) to the haunting breaths of Isaac in space. A must play for fans of horror and action fans. 

Cheers for reading. To my "fans" sorry for the delay. Work work work!  

Follow me on Twitter and Tumblr (I don't know how to use it though!) 

O.E.Gamer. 

@theOEGamer

BROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

BROFORCE! THIS GAME IS SO EPIC AND FILLED WITH RAGE AND TESTOSTERONE THAT IF A FEMALE PLAYS IT HER OVARIES WILL EXPLODE!!!!

I did consider doing the entire review in caps but it would blow your mind. Broforce is still in the Beta version but still amazingly good fun. It cost just over £10 on steam but definitely worth it. Broforce is done an a 8-bit/ retro way and considering everyone has a hard on (myself included) for that retro look and the amount of shit that goes on screen it makes sense to.

The object is to battle through each stage with your Bro's (or if you want the ultimate test - Bro it alone) and kill the devil at the end. Then you jump onto a CHOPPA and the levels explodes...obviously. The controls are simple enough and pretty god damn tight! Arrows keys to move (surprisingly), Z shoots, X is a special attack and C is CQC / rescue/ HIGH FIVE! Although the controls are simple, there are still many parts to master. Like riding a pig. Or flying through the air on gas canister to traverse the stage. The latter more dangerous. 

Enemies range from the puny and small, to giant beast dogs! But they all die in a mass of explosions! 

The game fucking rules. I don't think there was one point where there wasn't an explosion on screen. Maybe the start but I'd make sure that in the first...10 seconds something/someone was on fire. Everything is destructible which is both good and bad. Good because it gives you the freedom to play the level any way you want. Bad because you'll accidentally kill yourself...a lot.

Each character or Bro has a unique special and attack which changes how the levels play. To get more Bro's you have you rescue prisoners in cage that give you an extra life. After freeing so many you are rewarded with a new BRO! These include: 

Mr Anderbro - who can dodge bullets and punch through EVERYTHING. 

Bronan - armed with his trusty sword can send shock waves that mutilates anything in it's way. He also does an Arnie GGUUUUUDAAAAH when you use his special. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khWeDJP6riU)

 EXXXXPLOOOSION!!!

I could name more but I don't want to spoil too much. One play through will take 90 minutes to 2 hours but there's countless amounts of fun to be had and I found myself playing this many times over. The best way to play is multiplayer though. A high five will slow down time and make everything more epic by tenfold!
Last thing I'm going to mention is the sound. This game just bleeds awesomeness. When you move you hear the small patter of the characters feet on the ground. The explosions sound larger than life and would perforate a small child's eardrum. By far though the greatest sound...the enemies dying. The screams are hilarious. I'm sure one is a sound bite of Homer Simpson. AND a Wilhelm Scream. Even the music feels like something epic is happening AT ALL TIMES.

To sum up *ahem* (add epic voice) BROFORCE IS LIKE BEING THE ULTIMATE MAN AND STOPPING EVIL IN A HAIL OF GUNFIRE AND EXPLOSIONSSSS! DONT BE A PUSSY...BUY THIS MOTHERFUCKING GAME!!!! AND ITS NOT EVEN FINISHED!! 

Addendum: keep your eyes open for a video review coming soon chums!! 



Cheers,

O.E.G.
@TheOEGamer
http://oegamer.tumblr.com/