E3 Uplay points?!?

I am not complaining but I am surprised to have been handed 40 Uplay points following E3. The Uplay points system is effectively a rewards based trophy system (scaled back from the reams of trophies available) which provides players with incentives for actions performed in Ubisoft titles.

Having activated my iPhone, PS3, Facebook and PC with Uplay I got 10 points a piece added for doing naff all. Thanks Ubisoft.

So long as this is just a one off/ annual reward I don't mind. If however it starts to become a regular occurrence, thereby rewarding consumers for doing nothing, I think it will be a sad day for those that understand the psychology of reward etc.

In fact, here is an excellent video by Extra Credits over at The Escapist who would most likely agree...
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/extra-credits/2487-The-Skinner-Box


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Call of Duty strikes again!

My recent rant regarding new IP has been given further fuel after checking the control options for Brink. No sooner had I looked away from the mapping to the name of said choice to find it is titled "Duty Calls" and yep... The mapping matches CoD perfectly.

I know this is a minor issue, and probably more of an homage than anything but it is such a shame that one series seems to be becoming the industry benchmark for it's genre.

Now if you will excuse me I have some objectives to complete.


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Powerhouse franchises

So... This year will see the release of several follow ups to the big franchises in the games industry. We have Uncharted 3, Deus Ex, Modern Warfare 3, Skyrim and the long awaited Duke Nukem Forever.

These powerhouse brands are all at the forefront of their niches which begs the question... Are we slaves to these brands as the epitome of the genre they encompass, or is there hope for new IP?

Homefront was slated by several sources for being too short, but then... So is MW. Brink has been called a wannabe Team Fortress 2, but isn't that the basis of Battlefields multiplayer also?

I am not saying it is a bad thing to have a defining chairperson of a game at the stern of a genre, but I do think that when it is used to define whether another new IP is any good is a step too far. MW is a good game series sure, and it's placing is from a near future military view point. Homefront however is placing itself in rebel territory in an alternate far-near future. In fairness therefore it should only be compared in terms of immersion and aesthetics as all other cards are from differing decks.

I am an independent consumer with the luck to be able to afford more than one game purchase in a 6 month period without having to trade-in and fuel the flames of that industry destroying habit, but there are the unlucky few that have to base their occasional purchase on the opinions of others... And if those opinions cannot define a game within a genre without saying "it isn't as good as CoD" then shame on them.


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So what have I been up to...

It's been a while that I've blogged. Mainly as I've been playing A LOT of games that I know should have been completed a long time ago but I never got round to...

1st up... Borderlands!
Whilst technically not yet completed I have reached the final mission. I'd heard that after that anything you do with your character is classed as playthrough 2 and is a lot harder... So I've taken on the DLC missions before that happens. Dr. Ned was a fun pack, and I'm part way with General Knoxx which is fun so far. I'll either need to tread the mirky depths of online, or get a friend in order to enjoy Moxxi at it's best, before finishing up with Claptrap Revolution.

2nd - Heavy Rain
Despite knowing already about some if the more "exotic" trials in this game, I found myself gripped and wanting to get it all right and be the uber hero. The killers identity surprised me (excellent) and the ride was intense! My only gripe is with a few plot holes that never got explained. Perhaps it had been planned as DLC and been canned but I would have liked to have known what happened during Ethan's blackouts.

3rd - CoD 4: Modern Warfare
Before I start I will say that this game is good... However... The hype surrounding several key moments was something I was aware of playing, and as such I had high expectations. Unfortunately some of these were not met by the spectacle on show.
Perhaps it is my fault for having played Black Ops before the MW branch, but the "Nuke" incident could have been a lot better. Perhaps it just shows how far immersion has come since this game but I think that the inclusion of hands in that scene would have helped.
Aside from that it's a good game which I'm looking forward to completing so that I can continue the series with MW2 and MW3 this year.

That's it for now... Been pretty focused with my games. Until next time


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Have I reached a point of gaming satiation?

I like games... Always have (NSS I hear you cry!).

Since the early days of console entertainment right up to the latest AAA hits I've had a blast and would consider myself a better than average gamer with a passion for the industry.

Recently however my gaming time has taken a nose dive and I am constantly flitting between games without clear focus of completion. Some would argue that my problem is not satiation but SATURATION! With a PS3 collection of more than 75 games I can see why they would say that, however it has always been like that since I started working over 10 years ago. Since buying my own PS2 at 16 I've always had a lot of games, and always enjoyed them.

Recently my gaming has felt more like a time filler than an entertainment activity and perhaps that is what is making me feel satiated by them. I have been taking driving lessons and spending more time out the house to look at property, socialise and be with my girlfriend more... so I can see why it does feel more time filling than time thrilling.

With a bank holiday weekend soon, and less plans ahead to "do stuff" during my solitary state that is a weekday I should get out of this state of satiation. Failing that there are plenty of games to loan out to friends in order to make my game time more focused... Any takers?


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Coming back for more, more often...

EA Games have today announced the use of daily scratchcard style rewards for players of their facebook game "Dragon Age Legends". The full story is at http://dragonagelegends.com/blog/2011/5/11/upcoming-feature-daily-bonus-game.html

I previously played the Ubisoft Assassins Creed Facebook game as it had a reward system that gave bonuses in Brotherhood, and until now that has been the basis of my playing DA Legends. Once however, I have got all I can out of these games I stop... So it is interesting to see EA Games use a reward technique that encourages both continuous play, and repeat play after the game has run it's course.

Now I just need the PSN to come back on so I can start using my unlocks on Dragon Age 2!


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PSN IS BACK UP SOON BABY!!!

Playstation network has been down nearly 2 weeks but has been confirmed to come back online this week. Excellent! Luckily I have been completely unaffected by the whole ordeal because...

1. On the day PSN went down I lost my debit card so that became invalid.

2. I've been on holiday for 10 days.

That doesn't mean there aren't passwords that gave had to be changed but it was about time I updated those anyway. So... Bring on the free 30 days of Playstation plus, which is a good chance to see what the service is like

On a closing comment... Hackers are arseholes! Playstation or other target, they should put their effort and skill into actually making the world a better place than what they really do!


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