h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Picked up a 2nd hand copy of "Alan Wake"

- which promises to be a sort of Silent Hill / Resident Evil* 3rd person explore and kill - but as extolled to me by the person encouraging me to buy it - mixed with a Stephen King novel.


Not played it yet (I was unpacking yesterday after my trip home) but when I do I'll report back. The quirk seems to be you fight with light and the dark brings the badness so carry some spare batteries for that torch.....




*before it got weird and stupid

started playing Alan Wake yesterday. Really enjoying it.

It's got a superb plot - and though the gameplay is linear rewards exploration with exposition and hidden weapons caches that makes taking on the host of supernatural bad guys (which spawn in shadows and attack on mass and the only thing you can fight them off with is light, and if you have one, a gun....)

The plot centres around a writer who might be loosing his mind, or who is involved in a complicated plot of supernatural forces control the denizens of Bright Water to release it from it's underwater prison.

It plays with paranoia and the fear-of-the-dark premise is well realised when you arrive at a place with no weapons armed only with a torch and your character announces he'll have to cross through the woods unarmed, it'll be risky, but it's the only way to get to the farm' - if your heart rate isn't elevated, you're dead.

It's a Microsoft studios title, so I'm guessing it's only on X-box and probably PC / Steam.

But it is recommended - if you can get to try it, do so.

Going off on a slight tangent, EA have announced that they're closing Sim City Social on Facebook. Apparently it's because it's an old game and they need the server space for newer titles, but for a game that's only around a year old and with 1.4 million players I call shenanigans. My theory is that with this closure fans will shell out for the full fat Sim City, but judging by the response to the announcement I think EA have hammered a massive nail into an already half closed coffin.

Am playing Worms Apocalypse - retro fun... Quite difficult as well.

sprout

Oh I used to *love* worms!


AIRSTRIKE!!!!!!!

Worms! I've got the odd one or several of those.

I love the Inflatable Scouser. Very silly indeed.


This week I am mostly killing zombies (again) on an paradise island (again). Dead Island: Riptide - welcome back, old friend.

Last night I found all my old PS2 and PC games that have been hiding from for for about three years. I wonder how backwards compatible Windows 8 is...?

I was told this week that I am to be made redundant at the end of this month. That means that I could be facing the last period during which I have money to spend on luxuries, so I am looking to buy things which will last me a long time for the spend.
Oh look, Skyrim is down to £12.50 on Amazon.

You'd probably be best buying the 'Legendary' Edition - it has all the add ons as well

Dota2

Via the magic of Dolphin I am playing Zelda: Wind Waker on a GC emulator. Upscaled to 1080p:-

http://www.dolphin-emulator.com/

And jeez louise I forgot how good it was. 10 years later and it still looks beautiful. Srsl folks this game is better today than 90% of all the games I have played in the last 10 years.

FB

Oooh, thanks fb. That looks really interesting.

>>Zelda: Wind Waker<<

I'll just play that on me GameCube, then (Black one, although I used to have a purple one)

I've just wasted a Sunday. I played Rise of the Guardians. Three word review: Repetitive Brain Injury.

I never played Wind Waker but we (bf and I) love Zelda. Unfortunately we find Twilight Princess too difficult. But Skyward Sword is promising so far - even if I don't like the graphics style so much.

The thing is Dolphin can upscale to 1080p. So it actually looks loads better than on the Gamecube.

Is just wonderful.

FB

I'm replaying Borderlands, this time with a Hunter instead of a Siren. I don't know if I've improved at my choice of weapons and upgrades, but it seems easier this time round. Leaving a lot of side quests uncompleted.

I've been suckered in by the Steam summer sale (other games vendors are available) and picked up Fallout New Vegas, a Civilisation V upgrade pack (though not the most recent one), Bioshock 1, Faster than Light, and the Baldur's Gate enhanced edition reissue. Probably more games than I'm going to have time to play (especially as I still haven't finished Dishonoured) but they were very cheap!

I've started on Baldur's Gate. I missed it when it first came out but did play BG2. I think BG1 has stood the test of time reasonably well, but it does feel a little insubstantial and buggy compared to later offerings. I guess Dragon Age 1 is really the game of choice for this kind of thing, but it's not a bad bit of quasi-nostalgia. Was also interesting reading various web attempts to explain the old D&D second edition ruleset that underpins it, which time has not been kind to!

I picked up Fallout New Vegas as well, though at the moment I'm playing Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers.

I'm watching my bf playing Fallout New Vegas, we're both surprised about how good it is. Fallout 3 will hopefully arrive today or tomorrow from amazon.

I'm on my third playthrough of F:NV... Clocked up 89 hours total playing time so far. There are *still* quests I haven't done and locations I haven't visited.

Warning, Fallout 3 will seem bleak and humourless by comparison.