Team Fortress 2

Now as you all know, I've been without my PC now for almost 2 months. Luckily however my dad owns an alright-ish PC so I downloaded some of my Steam games onto there (as he doesn't own many games other than Fifa Manager himself).

I've liked Team Fortress since I downloaded it. It's free, I could play it on my 3 year old laptop if I found a cooling base, and it's quite pretty to look at. It also surprises me just how many people still play a game this old. But it's something nice to play in the meantime until I get my own PC back.

Now I'm not going to start on a proper review as I'm currently on one day off before I start 9 shifts in a row. Nine. I'm gunna die. But after that I'm off on holiday for a week which evens it out.
But as I was saying, if you're looking for something to mess around on for a short amount of time, or if you want a game that's not going to cost you anything, or even if you just want to parade around as a Heavy in silly clothes, Team Fortress is a must have.
If you don't already own it, get it. You'll be wondering why you never did it before!

Well that's all from me for the time being. Time to chill for an hour before having to do stuff again :(
Until next time!
-KirreeH

Wowzers!

Can't believe it's been over a month since my last post.
I've been so busy!
I've been busy working at the pub during the week, and most days off are either catching up with old friends or catching up on the housework. No times for games anymore!
We also still don't have our beloved PC shipped over yet, but now me and the other half are working I'm definitely considering the option of getting myself a brand new laptop. And this time round I'm thinking of customizing my own!
Cool stuff!
Hopefully I'll have one of these by the time Sims 4 is released in September. So excited about that coming out! I have made sure I keep myself updated with that and other new games.
In the meantime I may look at trying out The Wolf Among Us now it's finally fully released with all episodes, and going to try and write a review on some other older games I try and entertain myself with when I have a few spare minutes (which is rarely these days)

More from me soon!
-KirreeH

England!

So I'm here, I'm settled, got a new job working at a Wetherspoon's pub (lovely jubbly) and have spent an insane amount of time playing Call of Duty: Black Ops.
Now for me, the franchise is alright although I've never properly taken the time out to play through any storylines as of yet. My time has been wasted on zombies. And yes, I mean wasted. My god, what is it about that game that's so horrific and terrible, yet I have to keep playing over and over again.
My dad is addicted and is turning me into an addict myself and I feel like I may go insane if I don't find another game to play in my spare time :)
Still no PC as of yet so maybe Call of Duty storylines are next for me!

-KirreeH

Goat Simulator

Now I have to admit, when this game was first announced, I was one of the many thousands of people who thought "really? a goat simulator?" and thinking the whole concept was a tad bit stupid.
This however rapidly changed when my partner decided to purchase it so I felt the need to play for myself...
Wow.
Now I'm not normally a huge fan of games which are based on pure silliness (take Jazzpunk for example) but for some reason I really enjoyed this game. Now I know it's buggy, but that really doesn't phase me at all. I mean come on, I completed Dead Island and that was buggy as hell. I guess it adds to the entertainment value for me.

Now for the recent update, I'm loving everything new that was added in. The new goals, the new goats, the new map. EVERYTHING. And lets not forget the rooftop party with DeadMau5 and how catchy that music playing was. I literally had it on for an hour after whilst I continued creating havoc around the city. Fabulous.

Now I know this isn't a proper review, but I just wanted to express my love for this game and to get something out to you guys before I move to England Friday. And I shall be without my beloved computer until we save up the funds to have it shipped over. Sad times :(

Until then, I shall try and use the pc in England to play something to keep me occupied. Or the PlayStation 3 shall be on constantly!

Until next time
-KirreeH

Geometry Dash

Geometry Dash is a mobile game available on Android Play Store and iTunes App store.

I wasn't really expecting much from this game but it is AMAZING.

I first watched Pewdiepie do a video on it which made me want to try it for myself, and watching a video just doesn't do justice for this game. It's SO addictive! I found myself on my 30th attempt easily when failing at this game.

For me, it's not just the frustration of crashing into something SO EASY to jump, but when the music stops suddenly, it makes me want to play again just to hear that beautiful melody again. And again. And again.

Honestly, just try it out, it's worth it. There is a lite version too if you don't want to commit to paying for this game. But I'm sure once you've tried it you'll want to buy it ;)

-KirreeH

I seem like a liar!

So a week has passed and I haven't lived up to expectations! Sorry! :(

Been so busy with work, then when I'm home I'm looking for jobs in England! Although that IS good news... Moving back to England 6th June! Yay!

Oh, and I been trying out Pokémon Black on an emulator... Nowhere near as good as Fire Red but still!

Hope to see you soon!

-KirreeH x

Work

Sorry for my absence guys, been working since the start of the month so haven't had much time to game :( That and I haven't seen many new games I'm interested in right now...
But for now, I'm back down to part time work so more free time yay!
Hopefully I can finally finish Pokémon Fire Red now ;)
See you soon!
-KirreeH

Pokémon Fire Red

Is there anything better than playing with the original 151?
To me?
No.
I've tried so hard with newer generations to love and play the newer versions, but for me it's never the same.
I'll always stay true to the originals, and continue to admire playing Fire Red and Leaf Green.
Right now I'm at the Safari zone and just caught myself a Dratini! Damn proud :)

What's you're favourite Pokémon game and why?
Let me know!
-KirreeH

My latest addiction

So I recently found this: http://www.jetpunk.com/quizzes/how-many-countries-can-you-name.php
Goddamn, it's nearly as addictive as 2048 was for me.
So I'm now sharing my time between this and Pokémon... Fire red ofcourse. My favourite
:D
-KirreeH

Oculus Rift

This is beautiful...

I won't ruin, just read and see for yourself :)

Kotaku

-KirreeH

Age of Empires II + The Forgotten Expansion

Age of Empires II is yet another game I have grown up with, and I truly enjoy the HD edition and new expansion as much as the originals. The Forgotten expansion is the newest release for the franchise (released November 2013) and has been a breath of fresh air for the revival of this older game.
The Forgotten not only adds new and exciting campaigns for the player to work their way through, it also adds new civilisations into the game and new game modes not seen in the original version 1999 version.

Part of the new Britons tech tree

I have always enjoyed the gameplay of Age of Empires II, and that same enjoyable gameplay is shown in their latest expansion. It keeps to its simplistic routes with an easy layout, simple rules and great ingame action. The aim of the game is to rule and conquer. You collect up your resources, build your army and attack/defend. You also have the bonus of technology meaning you can research to upgrade skills, weapons, armour, etc. When playing a standard game, you also get the choice of whether you want allies to start off with, or all enemies. If you do decide to change your mind, you can choose to give them whatever they want (normally gold) and buy them out to be your buddy. 
What gives the game more depth to me is the vast choice of civilisations you can choose from. Each civilisation comes with its own research tree and unique special unit, meaning that every fight you have is different. I do like playing this game with friends quite a lot, and it’s nice that even if we keep to the same civilisations (Britons, yay!), if you set the enemy to random, you never know what you’re going to face until you’re in the action. And even if it is a civilisation you’re familiar with? There’s still 100s of different ways you can use their abilities to your advantage. The whole experience has been upgraded with the addition of The Forgotten as the possibilities for gameplay just seem endless, especially with the new game modes as well which to me are a much welcomed feature.

Graphics wise, apart from the HD upgrade, it all looks the same as the original did back in the day. It’s just nice playing the game without purple water and yellow grass now there is a better colour scheme. The layout as well is the same, the nice simplicity has been kept in there which I’m so happy about as I always liked it. Unlike Banished, you don’t have to route around to find out what resources you currently have, and things are clearly labelled which I definately prefer.

Soundscape, again, same as the original release of this game. Lovely ambient background music, villager speech when selected and given a task to do and alerts when you’re being attacked. Apart from that, not much else to it, apart from the ingame speech. Number 38 is my favourite, give it a try!

So all in all I love this game. I have done since the start and I’m sure for me it shall remain my favourite, despite any other releases there may be in the future. I’ve grown up with it, and this makeover has done wonders and if you haven’t played it before, I’d highly recommend it.
Definately a 9/10 for me. Yeah ok it’s not perfect, but there’s certainly nothing bad to it and I will love it for years to come.
-KirreeH

Look ma, I did it!

I have no idea how many attempts this took... but I did it.

Hells yeah.

That is all :)

-KirreeH

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel

It's been confirmed! 2K Games and Gearbox Software have confirmed that Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel will be released in autumn this year.

It is a standalone set between Borderlands 1 and Borderlands 2, and will be released on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. NOT for next gen consoles.
Along with a new standalone, comes 4 brand new characters. There is Athena the Gladiator, Wilhelm the Enforcer, Nisha the Lawbringer and for the first time, Claptrap the Fragtrap!

For the long version and for more details, head over to Eurogamer.
Link is here: Eurogamer
-KirreeH

Oculus Rift and Pokémon?!

Read here for more info: Pokémon
For me personally? If I can save up that kind of money, hell yeah I want that! Especially if I could have a Pikachu following me around so I could feel like a female Ash.
But first I need to save up for a new laptop which I desperately need want.
And save up to move back to England.
I wish I was rich...
-KirreeH

2048

WARNING: Game is highly addictive.

This is all I shall say. See for yourself: 2048

-KirreeH

GameSpy

So in-case any of you hadn't heard yet, it's official, GameSpy multiplayer servers will be shutting down next month on May 31st.
For more information see here: IGN website

For me personally, it's kind of sad as a game I've played online since my mid-teens will no longer be available for multiplayer. So, rest in peace Deus Ex multiplayer. I shall still enjoy the single player, but it won't be the same knowing the community will be well and truly gone.
Alas, most good things come to an end and I've enjoyed the time I had online with that game.
Until next time guys,
-KirreeH

Thief

Another new(ish) game, hurrah! Now the Thief series I’ll admit was one I had never heard of before, and only started looking into it once I had watched a few YouTube videos of people playing Thief pre-release. So, I had to try it out for myself and here’s what I thought about the latest edition to the series.

Thief, as you can probably tell from the title, is a stealth video game in where your character, Garrett, is a master thief stealing from the rich. Gameplay revolves around the choices you make as there are numerous paths you can take when reaching a goal, and how you use the environment and NPC’s are entirely up to you. At the end of each chapter you get a rating on a pie chart showing you how you played your game with the classes Ghost, Opportunist and Combat. It also lets you know how many looted items you collected and how many were missed. Handy if you decide to redo the level. Throughout the game you also have the ability to upgrade certain skills in order to help if you want to focus on a certain class such as increasing your stealth if you wish to be Ghost rather than Combat, and so on.
During the game you notice and come across more obstacles, making you re-think how to defuse the situation or whether to take another route. I liked this aspect in the game as you’re constantly thinking about your next move. And even if you do have everything planned, you can still run into a new challenge you didn’t foresee earlier. It’s really nice having a game where you really do need to think through your strategy and make sure you use everything you’ve learned to play the game you want.
Regarding gameplay, one notable feature I found to be rather annoying was the constant cutscenes. Obviously the cutscenes including dialogue with other characters are interesting and very helpful to the progression of the story, but a few cutscenes were literally just showing you the surrounding area to where you where stood. Handy in a sense that you can use it to pre-plan your route, but the constant use comes irritating to me. When I’m playing a game and I’m really into it, I don’t need constant breaks from gameplay, but I don’t want to skip them incase I miss anything important!

The graphics in this game are outstanding, and just what you’d expect from a newly released game. All settings are dark, but it’s to be expected from a game where your focus is remaining stealthy. Characters are very lifelike, and the scenery is incredible and a joy to explore, which is what you spend most of the game doing. Another touch in the game I enjoyed was the lightening that appears periodically throughout the game. It adds a nice lifelike feel to the gameplay, and it adds a challenge when trying to sneak past guards.
One problem I had with the game, and has been noted by others too is that character’s mouths don’t move in time with the dialogue. It really takes something away from the game in my eyes and just ruins the look of the game when you’re interacting with a character and their mouth just looks like a cow chewing cud. Not nice. Other than that, characters are lifelike and the attention to detail (apart from their mouths) are amazing. The main character in particular who has separately coloured eyes is very noticeable when looked at in 3rd person. I do like when in games, characters do have something that sets them apart from the rest, rather than just walking past a crowd of clones.

Now for the soundscape. Nothing particularly outstanding in this sense, just what I would of expected from a stealth game. Some may see that as boring, but for me it fits in perfectly with the stealth game type. I don’t want to be sneaking around to a loud background music as it can be distracting when you’re trying to hide, or sneak over/past objects that can cause a lot of sound such as broken glass. So in this sense I was pleased it wasn’t over done.
This being said, the sound effects were really good and true to life. I noticed it more so with the thunder and lightening as it’s a sound I don’t like in real life, so hearing it did put me on edge throughout the game too (and a little more jumpy when seeing someone appear in front of me). Although it sounds like a nasty experience, it was nice in the sense it got me more involved with the game, and I felt more like I was actually there in that moment.
Character interaction was great as it’s always nice for me being able to hear the differences in voices when characters are talking to each other. Again as said with the looks, I don’t like hearing or seeing clones everywhere I turn in a game as it feels a bit lazy to me.

Thief has been a great experience for me. I’m not normally a stealth game player, but I did enjoy this game and will definitely be continuing my storyline to see how the game progresses later on. I personally think stealth games aren’t for everyone, but if this is your sort of game then definitely give it a try.
For me, I’d give this game a 7/10. Really great in places, will continue playing, but still has some work to do to make it an excellent game for me.

Until next time!
-KirreeH

Sealife Centre!

As you all know I've been in England the last few days, so I decided to post up some photo's of my day out to Weymouth!
Now I'm back home I finally have time to play games again and keep up to date with new releases and whatnot, but for now I thought I'd show you all cute pictures of animals from the Weymouth Sealife Centre.
Enjoy! :D
-KirreeH

Baby Crocodile!

Sea Horse

Penguin in a tub

My favourite part of the day - The turtles!

England!

So I been pretty busy here in England! Having a great time seeing friends and family, playing Call of Duty Ghosts and Scrabble mostly.
My dad has always been a big fan of the Call of Duty franchise, his interest being mostly in the Zombies part, but this latest installment is pretty good!
And Scrabble is always a good laugh (when you're winning).
Kind of disappointed currently after hearing EA isn't revealing a Sims 4 release date yet, and I was looking forward to Dying Light this month, but the release date has been pushed back!
Never mind eh! I'll try and get a review out soon for you guys so keep posted and see you soon!
-KirreeH

Rhythm Paradise

Today it’s time for a review of an older DS game I used to play called Rhythm Paradise; also known as Rhythm Heaven outside of Europe or Rhythm Tengoku Gold in Japan. Released in 2009, it is, as you can probably guess from the title, a rhythm game.


The aim of the game is that in each level, there is a different scenario in which you need to make an action happen by tapping the screen in time to the rhythm. Failure to tap, or tapping out of time, affects the score given at the end of each level and can result in failure. After completing 4 levels, you are given a bonus remix level of the previous 4 levels. A bonus of this game is the different end scores you can get:

- Failure
- Just OK, being the lowest passing score
- OK
- Superb

There is also an option every now and then, in which the game will ask if you wish to try for a “perfect” score, where any missed beat is a failure. This will only be asked if you have already achieved “superb” on said level.

Something I found disappointing, however, is that some of the levels seem to be repeated later on in the game. This lends an incomplete feel to the whole thing, as well as making the levels in question feel like place-holders, at least to me. If this had been done with all levels, then it would have made a lot more sense, but the levels are extremely fun for any age group, nontheless. The game also includes a few mini-games, of which a few are reminiscent of the game's main levels, while others are stand alone mini-games named in game as “rhythm toys”.


The graphics in the game are very simplistic, which is great for a game where you need to focus on the rhythm of the music being played. Fancy layouts with lots of detail would completely deter the player from the task at hand, which, for myself, is kind of shown in a later level in the game. The level has, for lack of an actual name, dancers, that animate when tapped in time to the rhythm. During the level, more dancers appear to the point where the screen is filled with hundreds of them, which can be very off-putting as it’s not the purpose of the game. That being said, it’s not bad to look at if you are actually making them move in time correctly with the beat.


The music used in this game is really catchy, nice to listen to and really gets you involved in the game. I have memorised a number of the songs and can still remember them to this day! Again, certainly suitable for all ages, though if you’re not playing yourself, the repetitiveness can get old very quick, as I found out from friends and family.


Overall, as a game, I do feel like there were aspects missing which could have made it seem a bit more complete in my eyes, namely the duplicate levels being replaced with brand new ideas. Nevertheless, I do enjoy the game and will be playing it lots when I find my misplaced cartridge. I would recommend it to anyone of any age who enjoys silly games with simple goals.


So this is my last review for a week or so guys, but I'll try and keep on blogging in England with other stuff :)
Hope you enjoyed today's review, and see you next time!
-KirreeH

My favourite level!

Holiday!

Just a heads up that I will be quiet for the next couple of weeks as I'm back in England on holiday yay! Then back to work once I'm back, booooo.
I will try and keep posting more reviews and gaming news in the meantime, but if I go quiet you know why!
See you guys soon :D
-KirreeH

Final call!

Just in-case you weren't aware, the final beta test for Elder Scrolls Online starts tomorrow at 5pm GMT until Monday.
Myself? I don't think I'll be getting any game time on as you can possibly tell from my review of the game, but I will be looking forward to how other people's experiences went and seeing if any bugs have been fixed since I played.

So for anyone else playing, have fun! Let me know how it goes.
-KirreeH

Elder Scrolls Online

As you know, 28th Feb, I was invited to join The Elder Scrolls Online beta that was taking place for a scale test. Obviously this is still a work in progress, so some aspects I comment on are subject to change upon release. Nevertheless, ZeniMax have encouraged beta testers to share our experiences, so here is my opinion!

The first thing you notice and come across is the character creation screen (as with any other Elder Scrolls game). The layout was nice and clean, very easy to navigate and I got to create my perfect character which of course was a Khajiit was with every other character I’ve ever made. You choose your alliance in this screen, and choose how your character will battle. Whether it be with spells, or with two handed weapon. There are a few options you can choose from which customizes the perks for how you want to play the game with your character.

The actual intro of the game I found to be rather irritating. You start off in a room, where you are given some basic controls, as with most games these days, then you set off on a multitude of corridors. I genuinely can’t remember how many of these short corridors there were, but it felt unnecessary and kind of awkward as you don’t really achieve a lot in each corridor. For example, one corridor you collect your gear of choice, then the next corridor you fight a skeleton warrior, and the following corridor you fight a skeleton archer. Just one of each, and these aren’t respawned. I didn’t really see why a separate corridor was needed for a single skeleton, but as it was part of the tutorial, I can see how others could find it handy. But for me it would of been nice to be condensed into say, one corridor for your gear and one for fighting.
Within the tutorial you learn the new levelling up layout which is different to how it worked in Skyrim. Once you have reached the next level, you press ‘C’ to open up the menu in where you choose where you want to upgrade yourself. Same as previous you have the options of mana, stamina and health, and before you’ve dedicated your choice, it shows you how the upgrade will improve your attributes. The next screen allows you a choice of perk which you can use ingame helping you in battle. The perk I chose when used set your foe on fire once struck with a sword. Very handy for taking a huge chunk of their life. During the game, the more you use them, the more they upgrade themselves.
There is one room before the final room, after all the corridors, but not a whole lot goes on in here (and I want to tell you everything that happens, just the important stuff). Once you get to the final room of the intro you are confronted by Molag Bal, the daedric prince of domination and enslavement, you have a quick chat, then you free a blind prophet who takes you to Tamriel. Easy peasy. A nice intro into the game, even if it was a bit long and repetitive for me, but still a good way to start the experience off. You also don’t start seeing other online players until the end of the intro, then once again when you’re exploring Tamriel and starting on your quests.
A bug I noticed straight away in gameplay was that there is no collision with NPC’s. Everytime I tried to battle with something and either I or the enemy walked forward, it would disappear into my character, making any fight very awkward.

One thing you do immediately notice is just how good the game looks graphically. It was, for me especially, something expected after seeing just how amazing Skyrim looks. The new layouts for character customization and for inventory are more simplistic than in Skyrim which I found very appealing. Very easy to navigate and I liked being able to equip armour by dragging it from inventory over to the active armour layout on the left side of the screen. In the same screen you also find the tabs for your map, quests and information on friends added. Being an MMO, it’s nice having these all on the same screen, so you don’t waste time ingame searching through different menu’s.
Regarding the compass at the top of the screen, it looks the same as in previous games with the given bonus that if you look in the right direction, the compass will tell you what marker quest you are looking at, and whether it’s on a level higher or lower than you’re at currently. It’s also done in a way where it’s very subtle, yet effective as you notice it there, it’s just not in your way blocking your view as you do other things.
There was a bug I found however, when looking at say a mudcrab in the distance, it would show the name and health status as a target would when battling up close. This for me was very off putting when trying to follow a quest line, for the game to decide for me the butterfly I was half looking at in the distance should be tracked instead. Not nice.
Unfortunately, due to my lack of interest in pursuing the game further, I did not take any screenshots of my own, sorry! And it's rather hard to find any on the internet, so I have failed you there.


Finally the soundscape in the game, nothing really special to me. Nothing stood out, it was just what I’d expect from an Elder Scrolls game. Same old dialogue and voice acting from Skyrim, and no background music. Nice, as it was kept nice and simple and didn’t distract from the gameplay itself, but I would of liked to have heard something that stood out, letting you know this is a brand new game.

Overall, I wasn’t thoroughly impressed. Thinking back to how much excitement and enthusiasm there was when this was first announced, it really didn’t live up to expectation. There are really good aspects to the game, but for me, it really doesn’t stand out and choosing to release an MMO may not have been the best idea. I would of preferred a new Elder Scrolls single player, with some of these new features shown online and with more effort gone into setting the game apart from previous titles in the series, rather than just the online aspect being the focal point for this title.

For me, I'd say an even 5/10.
Nothing truly special in my eyes, but perhaps upon release there will be more aspects which will make me reconsider and become a huge fan.

So thanks again for reading, and sorry for the huge mountain of text and lack of screenshots, will try and do a separate tl;dr version soon!
Next review will have more visual aids I promise.
Until next time!
-KirreeH

Gaming news

So I'm quite a fan of really terrible reality shows (I'm willing to admit myself they are terrible) and one of which I've taken a real liking to is Mob Wives.
Mob Wives follows the female family members of certain famous mobsters. It's basically full of a lot of swearing, arguing and fighting. Marvelous. So nothing really surprises me when it comes to these women until I read the following: 

"Karen Gravano of Mob Wives suing Rockstar Games over GTA V character".

Yes, really! The daughter of famous mob snitch Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano has taken a $40million lawsuit against Rockstar Games over the character Antonia Bottino, claiming the character uses her likeness and story without her given consent.
Unfortunately, Rockstar Games have stated "We do not comment on legal matters". But if you ask me? I think it's a load of rubbish. Sure, they may be some similarities? Possibly? Only time will tell the outcome.

Banished

Banished is an indie city-building strategy game, released earlier this month. It’s currently available on Steam or direct download from the developer’s website. Links are as follows: Shining Rock Software and Steam.
I’ve been playing it quite a lot over the last few days, and I’m really enjoying it. City-builders have always been of interest to me, but the difference between this and other city builders I’ve played, is that this is the first of its kind that I’ve played where you start off in an older era. 

The game itself is very small and very simple. This doesn’t, however, make the game any less interesting or fun, as it still has plenty of features to keep you interested throughout. Sure, there aren’t as many features and options as there may be in say, SimCity, but it also means there’s not a lot you have to worry about in terms of forgetting to build something or running out of a resource.
So it’s the same concept as any other city-builder, you start off with a number of villagers (amount dependant on the difficulty you choose), get them gathering resources and building what needs to be built. Simple as. With food resources, you do need to bear in mind that there are seasons throughout the game, meaning as in real life, you can’t do farming during the winter. You need to either make sure you have enough in your stock to keep you going, or you need to find an alternative, of which there are a few. This was a nice change for me, as I’m used to games such as SimCity and CitiesXL, giving me the option of worrying about what resources I need next and where to get them, rather than whether or not I have enough police stations and shops for my town. Another function I liked was the ability to either control villagers separately, choosing what jobs they have, or you can use the taskbar to assign how many people you want on a job, rather than who.

The overall look of the game is incredible. I mean, for a game of this size, I was expecting it to look a lot like an older version of SimCity, but was very pleasantly surprised by how beautiful it looked, even set on a lower graphic setting. There’s flowing rivers, falling snow and smoke funneling out of the chimneys! In words, I really can’t do the game the justice it deserves, so let me show you:

(A close up with snow effects shown)

(Zoomed out in Summer with some in-game windows shown)

Incredible, right?

The soundscape of the game is very simplistic, yet pleasant. Nice background music and simple, yet effective, sounds. I’m glad it’s not overdone and a racket to the ears, as it would be very off-putting, otherwise to the gameplay.

Yet again, another game I’m very happy and pleased with. I know there are bugs which are currently being worked on, though fortunately I haven’t seen any myself, else I would have commented on them. The only things that bugged me are things I just find very silly and don’t make any sense, such as the fact you can have a child born in Spring year 2, and by Winter year 2 they’re already age 5. But the upside to this is that the quicker the age, the faster you have more adults you can work with, otherwise you’d be waiting a very long time in gameplay for adults to come along. As a result, even the things I did find strange really didn’t affect the gameplay negatively, so I’m still enjoying my game thoroughly.

I hope you enjoyed my latest review! I'm still working on Elder Scrolls Online and Thief so please keep posted!
Thanks for reading, until next time.
-KirreeH

Minipets

Time to do a review on a much smaller game than the previous reviews: Minipets!

I am completely obsessed with this mini game and I’ll tell you why.

Ok I know, it is aimed at a younger audience, but it’s just so addictive! I’ve been playing my game since about September time, and I still check on it 2-3 times a day to collect my virtual earnings, and slowly upgrade my mini-zoo.

The basic aim is that you earn coins and gems from the animals you have at the zoo, or through doing little missions they set you (mostly placing more animals down or decorating your zoo) and gaining experience to level up; meaning more animals and items becoming unlocked in the process. There is also an aspect to the game where you can breed two species to unlock a new species of animal. One example of this is mating a horse and a narwhal to unlock a unicorn. Simple right? That’s why I love it.

Now for the graphics and other aspects. It’s a free-to-play mini game aimed at children, so of course some of the animals and other items don’t look amazing per-se, but it adds to the appeal for a younger generation as it’s very cartoon like, and it keeps that throughout all aspects. 

As for the sounds in the game,they are again very simplistic and cartoony with nice simple, music in the background. I do like the fact that when you tap on an animal, it makes the noise for said animal (apart from ones like rabbits that don’t make a noise), making it more enjoyable for children. This all being said, since I am a 22 year old, I do play on mute as I’m sure it would lose its charm very quickly with me. But I really do appreciate this isn’t a game made for someone of my age, and if I was a lot younger, I’d find it enjoyable. Maybe I should test it out on my neices and nephew...

Nevertheless, I still continue to enjoy this game on a daily basis, and it’s still the first thing I check when I wake up (I’m saving up to get a baby lion and they’re very expensive). I’m sure in a few months time I’ll still be playing, most likely making my zoo look pretty rather than just plonking down animals here, there and everywhere, just to complete the missions as I am right now (I never said I was a pro here). Or, I’ll hit a standstill, not be able to do anything more, and I’ll start a new game!

Thanks again for reading, I do have upcoming reviews on Thief, Banished and Elder Scrolls Online coming out soon, so stay tuned!

Until next time

-KirreeH

(Image taken from Google)

The Sims 4

So if there was any series of game I had to play for the rest of my life it would quite possibly be the Sims. I love the Sims, I've grown up with it so needless to say I'm looking forward to EA giving us the release date at GDC 2014.

For more information read here: http://www.gamerheadlines.com/2014/02/the-sims-4-release-date-to-steal-the-spotlight-at-gdc-2014/

L.A. Noire

So again, here’s another game that’s a couple of years old (released 2011), but it’s something I’m currently playing, so it makes sense to write my thoughts down!

When the game first came out it did grab my attention, but unfortunately the system I was using wasn’t capable of running the game. But since I got my new PC set up, I was ready to go and give it a shot!

  L.A. Noire is set in the late 40’s, post WWII amongst the glitz and glamour of Los Angeles, and you control a patrolman named Cole Phelps (and later an ex-marine named Jack Kelso). The main objective of this game is that you do thorough inspections of crime scenes and places of interest; interviewing witnesses and suspects, eventually solving the crime given to you. Instead of levels, you are set with different cases, and you eventually work your way through various different department bureaus, giving you more variety with the crimes you investigate. The game is very linear with its storyline, the only openness coming from your choice of where to go next if you have a few places to visit for your investigation.

The two main focal objectives of this game are:

a) making sure you find all clues and evidence amongst crime scenes and places of interest,

b) correctly deducing in conversations if you believe a person is telling the truth, lying, or you doubt them. 

The difference between the doubt and lying accusation, is that accusations of lying must be given with proof or evidence found earlier. If you do end up missing evidence or misunderstanding a person’s alibi, it affects your overall score given at the end of the mission meaning an unhappy boss, or you can thoroughly annoy an innocent person you’ve wrongly accused for the crime.

  The gameplay is relatively simple. Simple WASD for movement, and Cole jumps over objects or across gaps automatically. Most other actions are controlled by the mouse, except when you are fighting, where you have the option to use Q to grapple or R to finish the fight. So this makes for very easy combat, as you simply click on the opponent to hit them (or fire your gun), and chasing someone is as simple as holding down W to follow them. Easy peasy. Simple enough for a child, although I wouldn’t recommend you let a child play, as there is some bad language and plenty of racial slurs used in the game.

When choosing your next location to travel to, it is once again very simple. Simply pull your notebook out, set your destination, then a marker appears on your mini-map to guide you there (or hold E down to make your partner drive as I always do). The notebook is also used to hold evidence notes, as well as choosing what question you wish to ask someone next during an interrogation. So again, all relatively simple to get the hang of.

  The graphics in this game I really do enjoy. Even now, 3 years after its release, it still looks amazing compared to other games being currently released. Every building, and the town itself is set out perfectly, making you feel like you are immersed in this post war era. And as for the characters? Phenomenal. All characters are very lifelike in appearance thanks to the MotionScan used on real life people. It’s a great feeling that when interviewing these people, they do actually look from side to side when nervous, or remain composed when telling the truth. The only complaint I have about this though, is that I have noticed that nearly every woman in the game looks exactly the same. Sometimes the only way to tell them apart is the clothing, which is a bit disappointing as there are so many different male characters with distinctive looks setting them apart.

  I am also impressed with L.A. Noire’s soundscape. Again, each character has their own voice (not always found in a lot of games), making them unique in that sense. The music is true to the 40’s era in which the game is set, and other sound effects such as knocking, doors opening, et cetera, are all true to life. An added bonus given is that when you are in a crime scene or place of interest, there is some distinct music playing in the background. When you have found everything of interest, the music changes so you know there’s no more searching to be done. Another element is that there is a jingle when you walk near an object you can observe. At first, it mostly jingles when there is actually an item of relevance, but as the game goes on, it plays when you’re next to anything you can pick up. This forces you to become better at deciding whether or not something is actually relevant to an investigation, rather than simply relying on the game telling you, like I did at first.

  Overall, another game I completely adore for all aspects and will play again and again (leaving enough time in between plays to make sure I forget correct accusations).

If you want a game that’s pretty linear in storyline, but also gets your mind working as what to do next, this is for you. It’s just superb and beautiful to look at as well.

  So once again, thankyou for reading and I hope you enjoyed. Any suggestions for new reviews are more than welcome, so let me know if you have any!

Until next time

-KirreeH

Elder Scrolls Online!

Beta testing! Today! 5pm! Well for me at least being in Portugal. But yes, I'm excited. I never really been into the whole MMO scene. But as this is Elder Scrolls, a series I thoroughly enjoy, I'm looking forward to seeing how they incorporate themselves as an MMO. So I'm hoping that I can get enough time in to get my thoughts down to write a review for you mid to late next week, and just let you know what I think of how it's looking currently. 

In the meantime I do have other reviews either in the final stages of edit or a work in progress, so I'll get one of those out too you as soon as I can.

If you have any games you want me to try out and review, let me know! I'm doing this to try and get experiences with new game types, and just generally see what else is out there. 

See you next time!
-KirreeH

Share the love!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin
:)

Jazzpunk

Jazzpunk. Finally a recent game! I just finished the game today so whilst it's still fresh in my mind I 
thought I'd write my thoughts down on it.

Now the intro. I absolutely adored the intro. The 60s style intro really gave off a great first impression to me, and made me really excited to play the game. Then you get to the first mission, and that's when everything changed for me. The basic storyline is you're a robot detective/agent type of person. But every mission you do, you're high. And I feel like tha'ts how I'd need to play the game in order to enjoy it. I'd need to be high.
Now I know the makes call the game a "first-person slapstick comedy", but for me, it was just ridiculous at some places. I understand that as the character himself is high (he takes pills before every mission called "missionoyl"), but even with that taken into account there are a lot of moments where you just sit back and think "what the hell was that about?".
For example, one moment in the first mission, you take a box of cereal, empty it out to receive a toy whistle which you proceed to blow at the phone in order to dial... What? Why a whistle? Why is the whistle in a cereal box? It just confused me. Admittedly, there were moments that did make me chuckle, but overall for me, the weird outweighed the good.
One thing I did like and appreciate were the mini games within the game, even the silly ones such a painting a woman's toenails, up to the Doom-style wedding arena. If you look around there are plenty to play, and they really are fun and silly, and add a little something to the game.

So as for the graphics. It was far too bright for me. I guess I should of seen it coming from the flamboyant opening scene, but the florescent colouring EVERYWHERE was a burden to my eyes. The scenery itself I also really liked (even if the colours made me squint), as it kept that whole 60s style shown throughout. It looked like a 60s cartoon which I thought was amazing. But the choice for how the characters looked, again I wasn't too impressed. Just a simple toilet sign outline for a person wearing different clothes and having a different voice than the last character. It also didn't really fit in with the game. I understand they're robots and it's set in a future like setting (due to the gizmo's and whatnot), so it's kinda... odd to me. A futuristic 60s? I dunno, maybe I'm missing something there, I'm not sure.
The music I really did like again, and it made the missions more enjoyable with the fun soundtrack in the background, however some of the voice acting was terrible, and I was glad for the subtitles underneath the character (although some words or sentences were missed out in the subtitles)

Overall, I'm glad I gave this game a chance. I really am. The good aspects of this game were fantastic, but unfortunately for me, the bad parts really wouldn't make me want to play this game again. I am interested to go back and see if I've missed anything, but I'd also be just as happy leaving the game be. One playthrough of this game really was enough for me.
Unless I get high... then maybe I'll give it another shot...

So thanks again for reading my article. 
Until next time
- KirreeH

An example of the bright, bright scenery in this game (screenshot taken from Google)

Deus Ex

Now, when I say Deus Ex, I don't mean Human Revolution. I am on about the 2000 released original here. The first in the series.
Now this game being 14 years old, is another game I grew up with. Admittedly my brother and I only played a demo we had for years until we found the game in a store, and our pocket money was put together to buy it. I think it was about £10? Best £10 we ever spent. Hands down.
Even to this day, I can start a new game and play for hours upon hours, just doing the most stupid things. I know there ARE ways of completing the game in under an hour, but I prefer to enjoy the storyline and the surroundings. Rather than worrying about completing everything quickly. Another bonus for me is when I can get a few friends around, I can play online games as well. Admittedly, the online community for this game is nowhere near as big as it was when I joined back in 2007, but if 3 or more people are in a server, its likely more will join.

Now the game itself compared to Human Revolution is a lot more linear. There's a lot less decision making to be had, and a different choice of words pretty much brings out the same scenario happening at that moment in time. Sure you might annoy someone and kill them, but overall it doesnt effect the end game. But the storyline itself I really enjoyed. Even at the start (not giving away any spoilers, even though the game is old) you come across scenarios you wouldn't of expected when you started out. And the ending takes a huge turn when you have a choice of 3 different endings. The first and only real choice you can make which actually impacts the story. But nevertheless, I really enjoyed the storyline.
The characters you come across as well are brilliant. Limited to only a few lines (hitting them will most likely bring out a choice of 3 different annoyed sentences), but they really make the story come alive. And I enjoyed throwing stuff at them just to annoy them cus hey, why not?
Finally I will comment on the weapon choices. Whether you want to try and stay stealthy with a sniper rifle, or blow everything away with your GEP-gun, you get a fantastic variety of different weapons and ammo types to play around with making sure the game is played the way you want it to be. Myself? I've always been a gunz-a-blazing type of person, so anything assault is good with me.

So as for the graphics in this game, at the time of release they were pretty top notch. Even to this day, I don't think it's an ugly game to look at. Compared to Human Revolution... well, it doesn't compare lets face it. The only downfall to me is that it could be very dark in places. There is a way around that as you have what's called "augmentations", one being a light you can use, but it's not on unlimited usage, so if you run out it can be frustrating.
Audio in this game I loved. The soundtrack I can listen to again and again, specifically the music when you enter Hong Kong to do a mission (Have a listen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzvw8uSWucM ). And all sound effects sound true to what it should be. Only thing I would change is that a lot of voices are re-used, and the dialogue being limited. But it's one of those things where the good outweighs the bad and I really to find it a treat to listen to, even when I'm not playing the game I will happily listen to the soundtrack (no lies.).

I highly recommend if you've played Human Revolution, to definitely give this game a go. I know it's old, and the graphics aren't great and etc. But you really will have a great time if you enjoy a good fps game such as myself. And there is always the silly factor of being able to pick up many items in the game to throw around at people or distract them, and there are fun times in the sense that if you shoot a bad guy and hide? They'll forget about it after a minute or so (I always found that fun, no idea why...)
But yes, a definate recommendation for any fps players out there, and for 7euro on Steam? It's well worth it for the hours of fun it shall give you.

So thanks for reading, and again, any feedback is MORE than welcome so please let me know what you think.
See you next time!
KirreeH

"I wanted orange. It game me lemon-lime"

One of the best lines in the game, this is following a discussion between these two in which the man, Gunther Hermann, is convinced the maintenance man is against him, swapping drinks in the vending machine to spite him.

Minecraft

Trying to keep my first post, kind of short and sweet, I thought I'd start off with a game which I'm still on the fence about... Minecraft. Admittedly, it was my boyfriend sending me Yogscast videos which initially got my interest. 

Visually? I wasn't too fond of the graphics in game, but I did appreciate how different it was to anything else at the time. What made my decision to play the game was the idea of exploring this unique world, and I also loved the openess and the many biomes there are in the game. Gradually improving yourself as you explore above ground, underground or the Nether (for a nice challenge!) from wood to stone tools, building a furnace to smelt iron for tools, working up to the ultimate diamond. Making my first diamond armour piece, I felt pretty proud, not gunna lie!  And with the amount of mods out there at the moment, it doesnt end with diamond armour! There are mods for machinery, so you can make power suits you charge up and can make you invincible (perfect for everyone who hates those pesky creeper attacks!). 
All in all, it is a game I really do love. But it's a similar love-hate relationship that I have with The Sims franchise, and I'm guessing it's partly my fault due to lack of imagination? But I always end up stuck, with no idea of what I want to do next, and I don't like starting over as it seems pointless to lose everything and start from scratch knowing I'll do exactely the same I did last game, in a different map seed and most likely a new house.
But again, I know it's not a widely shared opinion as I watch videos and my boyfriend play hours upon hours, always finding something new to do, and keeping worlds for weeks at a time before deciding to start afresh.

At the end of the day this is my blog and my opinion, which personally is still on the fence as I do love playing the game, I just don't like to overdo it playing hours at one time, then finding myself bored soon after. But as a game in general, I really do appreciate and recommend it and I look forward and will keep up with all updates in the future. Its also a great game for all audiences, so a definite recommendation to all ages out there looking for something new to try out. 

So I'm hoping you like my first post on my first blog. Hopefully I can give more professional opinions on games in the near future. Please leave me any comment if you think I could use any tips, any help is most welcome!

See you next time
-KirreeH