Ludus-ing! Destiny Beta.

Are you a member of PS+? Then I bet I knew what you were doing last weekend if you had any sense!

Destiny hits the shelves on the 9^th of September 2014. It’s an online only (I think) game which incorporates a free roam online universe with missions and stories as well as PVP events like the usual Capture the Flag game types.  The Destiny Beta hit the PS store for PS+ members this weekend and thank you to whoever made this decision. It was just for the weekend sadly.

I’ll admit, over the last two E3 conferences I've viewed this game with increasing interest but I had no idea how impressed I would be with it.

I’ll start with what I believe can be improved, and please bear in mind that what I’m saying is already probably been sorted in the full game release. I know for a fact that this has been sorted, but more varied enemy design will be great. The enemies look great; intense and scary. So more differing enemies would be good, like a pink Dreg (I’m only kidding, but you see what I mean).

I’d also like to see the game be like an ever-evolving universe. Well until a sequel comes out in a few years. Like GTA, I hope that there is an effort for us to see free DLC bought in throughout time to keep the game interesting and fun. It can be as small as 2 more PVP maps every now and then. A few new missions and varied random events would be amazing every now and again.

More actions then just dancing, waving and pointing would also be good, but the talk about what can be done is a bit trivial. Not only is the game still in beta stage, but it’s already great!

I think I was actually impressed by every single thing so far. I’ll start with the graphics and tell you that sadly, I haven’t got my hands on a PS4 yet so my beta stage was sadly stuck on the PS3. I’m incredibly jealous of how good it looks on the PS4 but I was still blown away by the PS3 graphics. The game looks vast, the sky is incredible detailed and the little specs on things like the trees, the water and the land are incredible. It shocked me that there is still life in the system as I don’t think there is another game that looks as good as Destiny.

The gameplay was also fantastic. The opening mission/tutorial was good fun in that you learnt what you had to do with regards to buttons and stuff without it feeling like a tutorial. It is seamless in the movement from tutorial to full blown gameplay. The story is actually really interesting, but I won’t delve into that as everyone’s talking about it. The missions are very fun, they’re all different and fun and it’s great when you’re playing alongside a friend. What I really enjoyed was the random events during the missions. Walking across Old Russia when suddenly the sky goes dark and you can hear strange noises someway to the left. You’re told to get over there and fight off enemies for 5 minutes whilst Ghost does something. I had no idea what was going on but it was great to be going to my mission then all of a sudden be pulled away to fight some enemies. Really immersive and it left me swearing in shock after!

Another great thing was that there was seamless connectivity. I think my firesquad lost connection once all weekend, and to say that during Sunday the servers were under stress tests was ridiculous. Even in beta stage the online mode is already better than the GTA online mode!

Last but not least I think it’s important to mention Peter Dinklage. His voice acting as the Ghost is great. He has the perfect voice for your floating companion and adds so much to the game for such a little part.

This game went from mild interest to definite purchase purely because of the beta. I can’t remember the last time I took to a game that well and felt so immersed into what the game was. I’ll probably end up with the game on the PS3 despite how good it is on the PS4 because I just can’t wait til I can afford the current gen module.

Go and watch some videos and be prepared to part with your cash for Destiny.

It’s your destiny (ha!)

Peace.

SJ.

Recent Pick-Ups #SPECIAL!

Sony PSLX300USB - £120.
So yes, it has finally happened. I finally own a turntable; and I am mega chuffed! The turntable cost my Dad (early birthday present! Honest!) £120, then the cables to connect to speakers and etc. cost £15. It's a black plastic with a see-through lid, 2 speed, belt driven turntable. This isn't the dogs bollocks of turntables by any stretch of imagination, but for my first proper turntable it's good value and does the job. One day I will upgrade but for the moment I'm rather happy. It also has USB functionality, but I'm yet to use the turntable in this manner; I will definitely be using it to make sure I can get my music onto my iPod, as I already have amassed quite a record collection (as you can see from my Recent Pick-Ups posts in the past).

All in all, I'm absolutely chuffed to bits with my Sony turntable, it's such a nice feeling to start another musical journey and it's great to do it with vinyl. Listening is an absolute pleasure and I look forward to the very much so.

I do plan on using the turntable, and my growing record collection, to attempt to add more pieces to my blog. I've decided to devise a 50 must-haves post for albums and singles so I can have some focus to my record collecting. Once I've sorted the top 50s I am going to write posts updating my progress, kinda short and sweet blasts of what the record is, some history, why I want it, how much it cost and etc.

So yes. I am understandably very happy to welcome July with turntable in hand!

Inabit.
SJ.

Recent Pick-ups #2

Bruce Spingsteen - Born In The USA (12").

Probably a must have for any record collection focusing on rock n roll. We all know about The Boss and THAT sleeve so I won't bore you with the history and intricacies of this album. The album has some of Springsteens must haves; Born In The USA, Dancing In The Dark, I'm On Fire. I am very pleased  to say that I got this album for a total bargain, a meer £5! It's in fantastic condition, the only thing really wrong is the 'includes...' sticker has folded a bit but it's done no damage to Springsteen's right elbow! 

Jake Bugg - Messed Up Kids EP (10")

I resolved to buy this EP purely because my attempts to buy Jake Bugg vinyl singles before this was released seemed to evade me at every opportunity. The EP has 4 tracks on it, and I'm sorry to say that I'm still waiting for a turntable so I've not heard the other 3 tracks yet. They are on youtube if you are interested. For £8 I think this is a bit of a bargain. £8 and 10" of quality music is worth anyones money right? I honestly can't wait to get into this. I'm hoping to have a turntable by the end of the week (I've said that before!)

Standing At The Sky's Edge numbered Artwork.

Yes, last but by no means least is a piece of art. This is basically the cover art of Richard Hawley's album 'Standing At The Sky's Edge' on an A3 (sort of, it's an odd shape) and is numbered, I have number 232 of 500. It's a really cool piece of memorabilia and I can't wait to get it it's own frame as it's currently being kept safe whilst I sort some stuff out. Oh and it was only £2. If you like that album go and buy it, it will look quality of your wall!

Right, I'm quite shocked I've done this. I'm happy to say I got 14 LPs yesterday for only £7 and there's some right crackers in there, I think I might do a bigger Recent Pickups next time and get them all in!

Peace and love.

SJ.

Ludus-ing! Tomb Raider.

Another review and another selection from a past PS+ update. I do play games that I have paid for, honest! Tomb Raider came out in the March update and it has taken me a while to play. I actually borrowed this game from a friend about 6 months after it had came out with every intention to play it but I spent a lot of time ruined by how good The Last of Us was. I must say that I am disappointed in myself, Tomb Raider isn’t in the class of TLOU but it was actually a really enjoyable game!

I did get about 15 hours out of the game I think. I might go back onto the game and do some more of the tombs and collectibles so could boost that up to 20 or so hours.

The game basically acts as a bit of a reboot to the series. Everyone who games knows about Tomb Raider, and Lara Croft, so I won’t drown on about it to simply fill up space (because I’m fucking good at that and do it a lot!) It tells the story of a young Lara Croft and how she struggles with jumping, shooting, killing, manipulating areas and cracking puzzles during her first struggle because of a wronged expedition.

There isn’t really many dislikes I have about this game. I decided to just play this on normal instead of hard because I prefer to enjoy games like this; I’m an average gamer, and whilst I do think I could have completed it on hard I’d probably miss out on crucial segments of storyline because of either relief or annoyance. With games like Tomb Raider, and Uncharted for example, I can never seem to get used to the physics of the game. The amount of times I’d fall off of shit because the camera angle had gone funny or something like that throughout the years is astonishing. Not really a fault with the game I know but I still have reservations about these style of games because of that. Apart from that the only things I didn’t like was the jerkiness from when the computer was in control until you get control. Just looked a bit daft!

Now for the good bits. The story is impeccable, we obviously know bits and pieces from past Tomb Raider games but this takes it a step further. It is an absolute pleasure to play the game and learn why and how Lara Croft had become such a total bad-ass (or is that bad arse Lara?) through the PS1 and PS2 years. Not only that, but the actual story is interesting and fun and I would enjoy it if it was Doureen Smith (random person I made up) fighting to get the ultimate objective (avoiding spoilers!) Add the legacy of Lara to the great story and it’s totally worth your time.

The game also looks stunning, Lara looks great and the areas and backdrops are sometimes simply jaw dropping. It has a vastness that is so much more detailed than previous Tomb Raider’s and games like Uncharted. The detail in minor things is fantastic also; looking at Lara’s bruised, cut and just generally battered face whilst noticing the first bow you get is made up of branches just looks great and makes the game feel really immersive. Add this attention to detail to how great trees, water, sand and fire look and you have a really nice feeling game. Graphics aren’t always a major selling point for me, but I would be quite happy to spend a bit of money and get the Definitive Edition on PS4 whenever I get one.

Probably tied into the two good points already mentioned, I’d like to mention how great it was to play as Lara Croft. She is definitely one of my favourite ever gaming heroes, although I don’t shout about it very often. The developers did a really good job of having a young Lara Croft going through struggles and triumph and watch her grow into the Lara we all know and love. I also absolutely love her shouting “take that you bastard” in perfectly phrased posh English as you blow away from dude with your shotgun. Also, and lastly, the use of the bow in this game was great. It had some great combat effects allowing for the removal of hostiles in silence, as well as having practical uses as you climbed, slid and blew shit up to get through the game.

In all, I thought Tomb Raider was pretty fantastic. I enjoyed every minute of it and am still annoyed with myself for not playing it earlier. I really hope that this is the next Lara Croft we see in a future sequel. Hopefully it’s a total reboot so developers don’t have to stick too closely to timelines dictated by earlier games (if there is one, I don’t really remember!)

I would definitely play this again, and as mentioned earlier I could be tempted to go back into the world to do some of the extra stuff it was that much fun. The sequel should be great fun and it’s definitely in my list of favourite PS3 games.

Inabit.

SJ.

Things to do before a mis-kick of the bucket - Buy a guitar from Denmark St.

Denmark Street. Tin Pan Alley.

Situated in London, not far from Leicester Square, is a little street. A street that is simply known for one thing.

Musical instrument shops.

I have been to Denmark St twice and it is a magical place. First time I went into every shop and had a proper nosey around. Second time was a quicker visit visiting my favourite shops from last time.

The street has everything you can imagine, from 1930s Gibsons to brand new Squiers, you just have to know what shop to go in. Acoustics, electrics, bass, pedals and amps are everywhere on this street, as well as dedicated shops to brass instruments and keyboards and pianos. I really felt like a kid in a candy shop both times I went there.

Since I found out about the street about 5/6 years ago, I've always said that I wanted to visit and purchase a guitar from there. To purchase an instrument from the place that has the history that Tin Pan Alley has would be a great story and definitely add an extra dimension to my instrument.

I'll just give some quick name drops as to why this street has this history. Apparently Jimi Hendrix recorded at Regent Sound Studios, just like the Rolling Stones. The Sex Pistols lived at number 6. Elton John wrote "Your Song" whilst at the street. Names like Jimmy Page are not unfamiliar with these streets, and George Harrison bought a guitar or two here. I'm sure many other famous musicians have bought, recorded, or had instruments set up at this street. As well as many thousands of other people.

I'd love to become a part of that history, so before I become brown bread I'd love to walk to the street, strum a few chords and walk away with a guitar.

I'm thinking that an acoustic would be the best choice. I play a lot of my stuff by myself and my EJ200 probably needs a buddy so she can have a rest!

My favourite shops are Wunjo's and Regent Sounds. Regent Sounds have a great range of Gretsch and Fender guitars and bass guitars, and they have that history. The shop is nice and simple and features everything from Affinity Strats to one of Jeff Beck's signature Strats! Wunjo's is also great. Both times I have walked into Wunjo's I've been told to let someone know if I wanted to plug something in. At this point I've only just walked in! The story has everything; with a good range of lower end models to the all-out balls-out mega pieces normally under lock and key. It's one of the only places I've also seen a bunch of Airlines, which is nice. The acoustic room is nice, with a few different brands (some I wasn't familiar with) and it would be the first place I head to with money when I buy my acoustic from Denmark Street!

Anyway, some bastards think it's better to get rid of this famous, chaotic, popular, fun, eccentric, historical street. So go sign some petitions and tell the powers that be, that they're idiots!

http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/head-of-democratic-services-don-t-bin-tin-pan-alley
http://louderthanwar.com/stop-the-demolition-of-tin-pan-alleydenmark-st-and-the-12-bar-now-join-the-campaign/

Thank you ladies and gentlemen.
SJ.

Chapman Guitars.

2009 saw the birth of arguably the most progressive guitar brand for many a long year. Owned by Rob Chapman, and I believe Lee 'The Captain' Anderton (though not entirely sure) the guitar company has done incredibly well in 4 years. I cannot begin to explain how important this guitar brand for the future of guitar; this is why I've decided to write this blog post.

Just to give some more background about the who, what, where and when. Rob Chapman, the founder of Chapman Guitars, is most definitely the MAN of guitar-geeky goodness on YouTube. He has a tonne (and more!) of subscribers and he regularly posts stuff up about all kinds of different stuff; guitar reviews, pedal reviews, stuff to do with his bands (Dorje, go and listen!) as well as really helpful guitar tips and tricks. Lee Anderton, sometimes better known as The Captain, is very important in this situation. I believe he co-owns Chapman Guitars a little; but he is important as he owns a guitar shop called Andertons. This relationship between the two owners (sorry if that is actually wrong) and why it's important is gonna come up in the next paragraph.

So why are Chapman Guitars the most progressive guitar brand for a good few years? Well let's just discuss the process of building and then selling a guitar, but backwards. If you ordered a Chapman guitar right now, you would receive it in a few days. Before this it's stored in Andertons warehouse. Before that, the guitar will be on a pallet with maybe 20 others from the factory in Korea. And before that it will be painted, the wood been cut, things will have been sanded and some have electrical magic put on it in Korea. But here, before Korea/pallet/Andertons/through your front door is where the progressive-ness (that's a word, yeah?) is where it is at! (Yes, excitement coming!) Instead of having a designer... you are the designer! Go onto the Chapman Guitar forum and you can have a vote on what the next guitar will look like and the features it will have. Sounds simple in theory, in reality it seems to be just as easy. You log on, vote on something, then it gets built. Personally I think this a wonderful idea, you get to have a say on a guitar that you will be interested in buying! And if that's not enough, because of that 'special' relationship between Chappers and the Captain; it means you get a quality guitar for actually quite cheap.

You can go on Andertons right now, and in my opinion, get a better guitar than anything Fender, Epiphone, Gibson or Ibanez are offering from about £370 to £500. Proper woods, and usually great Seymour Duncan or actual Chapman designed pick ups, with really great hardware.

You get a serious machine for the money.

The standout model for me is the Chapman ML-1. The ML-1 is a coil-splitting, S-style body shape with a HSS configuration. It's mahogany, with a maple neck and an ebony fretboard, it also comes with a gigbag. You get the Chapman pick ups in this and it sounds great from YouTube and has received great reviews. It was also nominated for Best Electric Guitar 2013 by Guitarist magazine and won Best Budget Guitar from MusicRadar. You get all this amazing spec and well received reviews for only £369.

I think we'll all agree that is simply ridiculous. If anyone would like to buy me one, please go ahead!

If I was to design my own guitar for Chapman Guitars (say I bribed Chappers with enough coffee) I'd go for an SG shape, it would differ because the horns would be symmetrical, as well making sure every fret was accessible (like we all know SGs do). I'd have two Chapman Guitarnivore Humbuckers which can be coil split, with a 1000 series Floyd Rose bridge (like on the Rabea signature). It would be all mahogany, ebony fretboard and would be called the ML-Sam.

I can dream aye!

Honestly, go and have a look at the guitars on Andertons. Then go to Rob's youtube channel for some great guitary goodness. This is the future of the Guitar, ladies and gentlemen.

Bless.
SJ.

Things to do before a mis-kick of the bucket - Ripper Tour.

Okay, new style of post here. I'm not obsessed with my own morality, but I like to have a plan of what I want to do with my life. I've decided to write my first post of this style about something that I am actually going to cross of my bucket list real soon.

The Ripper Tour. I'm actually doing this when I visit London on the 22nd of May 2014 (latter posts of this nature will be more adventurous, honest!).

I've wanted to go on a Ripper Tour for about 6/7 years. During the summer of the school years I always used to try and do something to try and keep up and my mind ticking over (I honestly don't know if this was a good idea!) One summer I decided to study the phenomena of Jack the Ripper.

Idol curiosity made me record a documentary on Sky One on Jack the Ripper, presented by Vic Reeves. I think I may have watched that documentary at least 4 times over the course of the summer, as well as doing the general internet study. I even bought and read a book on the serial killer!

I won't go into my views as to who I believe Jack the Ripper was; but I have been very interested in the mystery ever since. Unusual for me, I'm not normally a fan of murder-mystery stuff!

My interest has waned in recent years. I no longer go searching for answers but I've always loved the idea of the tour around Whitechapel. Before the 22nd of May I will definitely be visiting some documentaries to brush up my knowledge. I'm chuffed to be going!

Have a good'en.
Samuel.

Update - This was a great night. The tour was led by a rather nice chap called John, who kindly commented on my great Guns N Roses tshirt from Asda. It was very informative, and John bought the whole thing to life. Here's the link, go and have a look and get yourself a ticket: http://www.thejacktherippertour.com/index.html

Ludus-ing! Pro Evolution Soccer 2014.

So this game review is going to be really short and sweet.

Everyone who knows football games knows how great PES was about 10 years ago. It offered a great alternative Fifa football games and the game play was simple and fun. With the Masterleague being incredibly addictive and exciting. 10 years on and we are faced with a monopoly of the football game genre. Fifa rules the roost, with a few newer football games coming up and not doing really well (Pure Football, for example). PES has always been there, and I've personally always considered if it was worth a fiver in July for a quick and fun blast.

PES popped up on the IGC of PS+ in April of 2014. I'm now going to be really concise in the things I like and dislike about this game.

I like: official use of the Champions League music and Pavarotti at the start screen.

I don't like: pretty much everything else.

The game play is dull, slow, and boring. The editing mode is terrible, with every player you create looking the same except for a few degrees of chubbiness and height.

I honestly can't believe that this is out. Football (and console) games have advanced an awful lot in 10 years but this PES feels like it is stuck in the noughties.

I didn't pay for it and I feel ripped off.

Goodbye.
SJ.

Recent Pick-ups #1

Oasis - Columbia [Demo] (12")
Okay, the first thing I wanna talk about is a new piece of vinyl. Oasis decided to release the Columbia demo from 1994 as part of their drive to gain interest in the fact that Definitely Maybe is 20 years old this month. I was gutted to miss out on the Supersonic RSD 12" so thought I had to get this. It was a HMV exclusive and it was an absolute bargain for any Oasis fan. I got it for £5 from my local HMV. In a typical Nottingham HMV style, someone put the price sticker on the wrong side, so it looks upside down, not an issue, just made me laugh! I've not tucked into the 12" yet as I'm waiting to get a turntable.

Rolling Stones - Crossfire Hurricane (bluray).
I acquired this on the same day as I got Columbia. I'd hate to find out how much I had spent over the years by aimlessly walking in to Fopp and walking out with a CD or a bluray. For £8 this was another bargain. I remember watching this documentary on BBC4 a year or two ago and really enjoying it but couldn't ever find it again on TV or for a decent price. It's a great documentary on the formation and history of The Rolling Stones. Well worth an evening of your time, and well worth the outlay.

Indiana - Solo Dancing EP (download).
I love iTunes for this. Modern ways of purchasing music have had a bad rapport over the years, it's easiness slammed for not being physical, or not being better then vinyl. I agree with these points but for £2 I got a good song by a local artist who I have had a pleasure of seeing a few times and three remixes of that song. I don't think that's a bad way to support someone genuinely talented and exciting. The song is excellent; fun and energetic. She has a great voice and you will be dancing (pun (is it a pun?) intended) by the end of the song. The remixes aren't bad either.

Don't really know what persuaded me to write this, maybe we'll see more pick-ups posts but I wouldn't count on it. I suck at continuity!

Peace.
SJ.

Noel Gallagher.

So, the past few weeks have seen some news about a new Noel Gallagher album.

Honest! It's on the Guardian and stuff (probably the NME too), Mark Coyle said that Noel Gallagher's been in the studio (or is in the studio) and has around 50 (fifty!) tracks to mess around with to make a new album.

Alright I'll stop with brackets now. Hopefully the 'news' is true, as I honestly can't wait to hear some more Noel Gallagher stuff. It's been a while since the last official NG release (Everybody's On The Run single) but since then some stuff has been leaked onto YouTube which were apparently demoes from the NGHFB album and I have to say they are great, if this is the direction NG is going in on his new album then I'm very pleased. I thought NGHFB was experimental but it still had many links to the Oasis era (I mean two of the songs from the album were being bandied about for years before the album was released) and I thought it was a good mix of new stuff and old stuff.

I hope the new album sees a total lack of constraints that may have inhibited NG before... Not that I believe that Noel is sat at home saying "no, it's too different to Oasis, this isn't what the fans want!".

Get yourself on YouTube and find some of these tracks. There's some belters, and if these unreleased demoes are anything to go by the new NG album could be spectacular.

I am also really interested into what happens next with regards to the people in the band, and how they will set up live. I'm not a massive fan of The Zutons so don't know if the bass player will have a year or two off at the end of the year (if we see the album in 2014) or if Tim Smith is available to assist Noel in guitar duties.

Will it still be Noel Gallagher's High Flyin' Birds?

If you're reading this Noel, I'll quite happily play guitar for you! I'll even do it on minimum wage!

Onward!
SJ.

Ludus-ing! Remember Me (not me but the game!)

This game is all about that very complex thing, memory... And I can’t remember a fucking thing about this game! Only joking. Remember Me hit the shelves, the PS Store and wherever else you can get games from in July 2013. Interestingly it was available for PS+ subscribers as early as November!

The game is set in a 2084 Paris, or rather ‘Neo-Paris’. I don’t know if the Paris we see in the game is the Paris in 2084 or a different reality Paris. The game focuses on Nilin, initially imprisoned by the games baddies; she gets out of the fortress with help from a mysterious Edge. Following this is a narrative based around Nilin attempting to bring down the pesky baddies and recovering her own memories (trying not to give too much away!).

I got about 15 hours of game play from Remember Me. I am sad to say that I haven’t completed this game. I’ll discuss that after the usual positives and negatives.

One significant issue with the game for me was the combat. The game (despite being set in 2084) is strictly melee combat (with a tiny bit of shooting). The theory is for Nilin to be able to use combos in order to bring down her foes, and the more you progress the bigger the combos get and the general variety changes. A good idea, but it doesn’t work greatly in the game. When surrounded by 6 enemies I’m not too fussed about combos, I just want to hit a few of them. Sadly the initial strikes do not feel very powerful, meaning that you have to spend ages getting rid of the majority of enemies before you finally get the chance to use the combos, by this time however, the enemies are on their last legs and the weak beginning strike is too much for them. This factor makes the latter part of the game near enough impossible on the hard mode.

One good and bad point of the game is the storyline. The narrative feels like it should be immense, but it is not good enough for you to really delve into the game. It feels a little plastic and rushed, as if they created the story in a short time and then went about creating the game. The main point of the storyline is very interesting however, that’s why this is a good and a bad point. It would be a good movie.

Another good and bad point of the game is its familiarity. Remember Me has the feel of a Batman Arkham series game tied in with Uncharted. The combat definitely feels like something out of Arkham City, with the emphasis to move and do combos (thankfully it works on Batman) and the platforming in between feels quite Uncharted-y. Maybe a better comparison is Tomb Raider as Nilin is also a lady. This is good because it doesn’t take long to get stuck in. It’s bad because it takes the basis of what is good in Arkham Asylum and Tomb Raider and doesn’t expand on it like the aforementioned games do to create a working dynamic.

The major plus of this game is the character Nilin. When I gave up on this game I was quite sad to leave Nilin without her memories. Her character is very believable and a joy to play as. Okay the storyline is a bit iffy and the combat is woeful but Nilin makes up for it. She starts off as a broken individual, mentally and physically, and by the time I quit she was a strong individual, fighting for what’s right and generally being a bit of a bad ass. I don’t think she’s a Lara Croft (largely because she is let down by other segments of the game) but she’s well worth remembering. Her narrative is the best thing about Remember Me and why I’m not finding this game a total dud. I’d definitely be interested in a Remember Me movie is the right actor was picked for Nilin as I believe it definitely work (just so long as it isn’t made for teenage girls!)

Another positive of the game is the fact that it looks stunning. The areas look great and feel immersive. It seems as though the creators sunk all their time into this however. I don’t really know what else to add here.

Sadly, the main reason I didn’t complete this game was because of the collectibles. I love it when a game has collectibles. I believe GTA5 nailed the collectibles, some are hard to find, and some are easy; and crucially they amount to an extra dimension of gameplay. They aren’t linked to the main story but are worth your time. In a free roam game it is easy to do, definitely. In a chapter based game Uncharted has a good model, the collectibles aren’t particularly useful, but they look nice and have some nice historical text attached to them. The chapter game that nails the collectible is Mafia 2; as the collectibles are synonymous with the era the game is set in. However Remember Me takes them to another level. You have to actually collect some of the items to add extra HP and extra focus. So going into the end of the game where the boss battles are hard with low health and a reduced chance to use the items that are essential to beating some enemies make the game beyond difficult. I didn’t believe the game was good enough to go through the previous 7 or 8 chapters so that I could beat it. I’d rather move onto a next game or frankly, just watch Eastenders.

Overall I believe this game is the perfect metaphor of the PS3. It’s good but should have been so much better. The game lacks on some of the basic items needed to be a really good game. I get the feeling that if the idea of this game was muted around 2004 then by 2006 there would be a great Playstation 2 game on the market that we would still mention now. Sadly the game feels rushed, instead of broadening the storyline and making a longer game it has gone for a short and quick blast with pretty visuals and lack of substance.

Would I play this game again? One day perhaps. I wouldn’t count on it though.

(Someone make it a movie! And don’t add a shitty love strand of a storyline and turn it into Hunger Games!)

Peace.

SJ.

Guitar Wishlist! - The Loar LH300

Jazz box time! (Is it a jazz box? Suppose that might arouse some debate). The Loar LH300 is an American designed, China built archtop guitar. It’s basically a copy of some of those old Gibson guitars that were around before the Second World War, with The Loar attempting to recreate the look (and spirit) of the L5. It is essentially an acoustic guitar with F-holes as opposed to a sound hole.

There are a number of things that I like about this guitar. However, I think it’s important to start off by explaining something. It may shock a lot of people but I don’t discriminate against cheaper guitars. The price doesn’t really fuss me about a guitar. I love the £100 Squier Bullet Strat and I love the £2500 Gibson J200s. I’m not really in a position to be a snob about particular guitars. Put simply, if they play okay and sound okay I’d like it!

The Loar LH300 is about £400/$500. It is cheap and I love it.

One of the reasons I really like this guitar is because of the body shape and style. I love that shape and style, they are so evocative of a time when guitar was really coming out of the starting blocks. It wasn’t a particularly well known instrument but this style was there. It wouldn’t surprise me if Bert Weedon had something of a similar shape when he was being quizzed in East Ham market about what the thing was in the late 20s or 30s! There are some guitar shapes and styles that everyone must have some knowledge about purely because of how important they were. I’d couple this with something like the Fender Stratocaster in importance of getting these pieces of wood with metal wires into people’s hands.

My experiences with this guitar are very limited. By this it means that aside from a few things I know nothing about it. There seem to be a lot of youtube videos, and I’ve watched nearly all of them. There seems to be a chap in America who sells them, he plays it in standard as well as DADGAD and he makes it sound great. He does some chops and does lead-y type stuff and I’m very pleased with how it sounds. Of course it isn’t going to be bob on that Gibson L5 tone, but it does what I’d expect that sort of shape and price to do which is what you want really. The reviews are good, with the largest complaint being that some of the detailing could be better, but it’s something from China and that seems a common aspect of these guitars, I can sort most the things people have complained about. Again, I don’t mind dodgy bits on cheap guitars; if they where to come out the factory totally 100% pristine with regards to attention to detail they wouldn’t be as cheap as they are, some people forget this.

And lastly, I can’t write one of these things without referring to a famous player. Unfortunately I don’t know of a famous LH300 user. I’m sure there is a really decent musician using this on stages around the world and I can’t wait to hear them. However I will go on about someone who got me on to these types of guitars. That man is Jack White and his use of his Kay. His Kay is like a silver-y archtop with a pickup in the neck. He plays his threw an amp usually, and I loved the sound of it but was more interested in the unplugged side of it. I loved the essence of these guitars, put simply. The bluesy sound was impeccable. With a bit of research I found the LH300 and have loved it ever since. The good news is if I was to buy the LH300 and loved it so much, I could go and buy a LH309 which has a p90 style pick up in the neck!

Sadly, the only problem I have encountered with The Loar LH300, as well as all other The Loar guitars (as I love the LH200 too) is that hardly anywhere in England stocks them. They seem to pop up on eBay and sometimes a random shop in York or Somerset has one or two but it looks like the best place to get these would be Europe (Thomann have stocked a few as well).

Peace.

SJ.

LUDUS-ing! Saints Row: The Third.

The first free game I got as part of my PS+ subscription.  It came out as part of the August 2013 PS+ update but originally came out in November 2011. The Saints Row series is one which has been around for a good few years (a fourth instalment is around these days, I believe) but I had never played one before downloading this. My sandbox/free-roaming obsessed friend had this a year or so before I got it and he said he enjoyed the game, so I was looking forward to giving it a go. On reflection, as long as you don’t have to do missions and can go mad with a weapon then he will enjoy it.

The game gave me around 15 hours of gameplay. Quite poor considering it is a free roaming game with what looks like a lot to do. I’ll expand upon this later. The game is basically centred about ‘The Saints’, and their struggle after attempted change and then failure. You make your own character, sculpting him or her with their own voice, tattoos and clothes. The Saints are a gang who have expanded into the media (creating things like merchandise, if you can believe it) and then embark upon a challenge of fighting a variety of factions from around Steelport.

I’ll start off with the bad aspects of this game. Sadly there are a lot of them (I do aim to end with the good at the end!). First of all let’s talk about the mechanics of the game. They suck. I shall expand on that by saying the shooting mechanic feels slow, and slightly dim-witted. I try not to use any auto-aim throughout shooting games as but felt that I needed to put it on, I’m an okay shooter but watching your character trying to spin around coming out of L1 aim mode and then going back into it (as that’s usually quicker) felt horrible. Next – the driving mechanics. I believe that it be an absolute must for any  free-roam game to have at least okay driving mechanics, seeing as you spent a lot of time travelling between objectives. I’m a big Gran Turismo fan so I’m not expecting anything of that level, but it just feels terrible. It feels horribly unresponsive, there is a brake but it just stops you. Both the accelerator and brake feel like a switch, you seemingly cannot use 50% throttle or go to 50% breaking on this game, meaning driving around becomes a hopeful ‘please-don’t-let-me-hit-anything’ mini-game. I want to drive and get to the next objective or fun thing to do, but no, I just spend the time weaving in and out of traffic then losing control. I ended up walking most places, or just using a helicopter!

Second of all, the storyline seems horribly boring. I never got drawn into the game which meant that I never felt the need to go and do the added side quests, I was just playing it in the hope that it got good. I got two missions away from the end of the game thinking it was going to pick up. It just simply never got going. With that, I found the missions quite limited. Sometimes it felt as if the main point of the mission was to walk into a room, blow shit up, and then leave. Great fun!.. But not when it’s the only things you have done. Even the boss battles are boring, repetitive and hardly a challenge. The boss battles don’t seem to get that much harder either, though I feel that if I was to play the game on hard I’d get screwed over in the same way I would in normal difficulty, just more often. I would happily blame my own average gaming standard but it’s hard to argue that when the mechanics of the game are so bad.

Despite all of that, there are some aspects of the game I enjoyed. I can fully appreciate the side missions and quests and like the fact that everytime you do something you get rewarded and you’re told how much of that particular area you have influence over. Sadly the shoddy mechanics meant that I could not fully explore this. Another positive about this game is that it has the Black Keys and Run D.M.C on the soundtrack! (Okay, clutching at straws now)

The best thing about Saints Row 3 is the moments in it that can only be described as bat-shit mental. Some parts of the game just have you sat there in bewilderment as to what has just happened. These can be anything from the missions to just random speech you get from your character. There is a mission in this game involving a tiger that had me laughing all the way through, I won’t spoil what the mission is about, but the randomness of it coupled with your characters reaction make it absolutely hilarious. I am happy to say that this is a regular occurrence in the game. Another thing I liked about the game was the character building section.

I also like the fact that you can make him or her look however you want, it is a bit limited on things like face shape and stuff like that; but the ability to give him or her new clothes, and tattoos, as well as being able to upgrade your character (things like health and etc.) are a real nice touch and can feel the slightest bit immersive. The best bit about this customisation is the fact that you can change the voice. It isn’t simply stolen off of The Sims where you slightly change pitch and timbre of your voice but you’re able to select three different voices per gender. The voice also has a personality, so picking a different voice to your friend will mean you get to see different profiles. I picked the voice that sounded a tiny bit like Jason Statham, hearing him shout “get out of the way love!” after you inevitably crash into some poor sod harshens the blow slightly (until he says it for the millionth time... but I am trying to be positive).

All in all I feel that Saints Row: The Third was a game built on a good premise but ultimately let down because of woeful game play mechanics. The seemingly lack of story didn’t help either.

I’m glad I didn’t pay for the game. I started playing it in August and it took me until February to complete it simply because I never felt it was a good enough game for me to go back and play. I decided to beat it as it was already on my PS3 harddrive as I’m trying to make space for games I haven’t already played. I can’t say that I am not let down and won’t be venturing onto Saints Row: The Third again.

Anyway, I'm off to try and finish Remember Me now. 

SJ.

Guitar Wishlist! - Fender Bronco.

The Fender Bronco. No not the guitar amp. No not the bass amp either. No not the short-scale Squier bass!

The Fender Bronco is the reverse of the Fender Musicmaster. Essentially a stripped down Mustang. It has one pick up, near the bridge. One volume. One tone. And then a tremolo bar can be added.

This guitar is incredibly rare. For a Fender guitar, the wikipedia entry is short, and there is about 8 videos on youtube (with varying sound quality). It's regarded as 'affordable vintage' and I think that's because not many people have heard of them!

The guitars were made between 1967 and 1981. It was built to go into a student package with the aforementioned Fender Bronco Amp. It has a solid Alder body and a Rosewood finger board. Originally coming in Dakota Red, the Bronco eventually came out in Black, Vintage White and Midnight Wine as well as Dakota Red.

The only notable player (I think, please correct me if I'm wrong!) is Alex Turner. Which is probably the main reason I know about this guitar.

The last point leads me nicely onto the next point. I'm a sucker for wanting guitars that my heroes have played. Though there a few reasons I want the Fender Bronco. Despite some of the frankly strange youtube videos (seriously, find the one by the French guy who keeps swapping between a Bronco and a Musicmaster) I really love the sound of this guitar. Having been a massive Arctics fan I've been exposed to the sound quite a bit. The distinct sound of that one single coil pick-up tearing through a variety of Arctic Monkeys tune sends me wild.

This is a point to pick up one. I never thought about acquiring a Bronco. Alex Turner uses one instead of a American and Mexican standard Stratocaster. So it's obviously going to be a lot of money right? No chance I'll get near one of them. Wrong. The guitar sells second hand for around £500-£700. That is a lot of money for a guitar; but with the chance of owning a guitar from the 60s or 70s, for £700? That blew my mind; and this is why I want one. A chance to own a rare piece of guitar history for not much money is great. I think I'd rather own a Bronco, Musicmaster, and a Mexican Stratocaster rather than buying a American standard one!

The last reason I'd like the Bronco is the fact that I have a thing for single pick up guitars. I love owning a VM Jaguar, an Epiphone Les Paul and Sheraton but now and then you just wanna pick up a guitar and just rock the fuck out. A single pup axe allows that. Just plug it in and blast away. I love to mess around with the blend on my Les Paul and there is a certain excitement about getting confused about a Jaguar but I think sometimes an individual needs two knows and a pick up.

The Bronco was discontinued in 1981, and hasn't been bought out again. I would suggest that the Bronco and the Musicmaster would be great additions to the Fender Modernplayer series; but I think it should be around the £280 mark. I think the Modern Player series is a confused series, most instruments being around the £350-£400 mark, with more glamorous models being £700-odd. A one pick up model should go the other way, with the option of buying a Fender amp for £90 more (just rename the Mustang a Bronco with a few different amp models would be ideal). A simple addition of a humbucker in a single-coil shape, with a coil-tap/coil-split and I'll sell my own sister (and yours too!) to own one.

Inabit.
SJ.

LUDUS-ing! Metro: Last Light.

Metro: Last Light hit the shelves in May 2013 and got some decent looking reviews from the usual game magazines and reviewists around the world. I'll be in honest and say that until it was released as part of the PS+ February update I had never heard of the game.

It's set in a post-apocalyptic Moscow in which the majority of survivors live in the Metro. It's an adaptation of the events after the novels Metro 2033 and Metro 2034 written by Dmitry Glukhovsky (and rumours of this game being adapted into a third book in the series).

The game gave me a good 12-14 hours of gameplay, it may be shorter for a better gamer, and could be longer for someone whose willing to explore some of the levels a bit more. You play as Artyom, an individual who agrees to a missile strike on the world above the metro to rid it of the post-apocalyptic monsters. The game centres around an area called D6, an unexplored and unknown area that the factions of the underground Moscow want to acquire for their own devices. You go through many different levels accomplishing many different objects. One of these objects is the finding, seemingly befriending, and interacting with a young dark one, which is very important to the story (I am trying my best to avoid spoilers!)

I'll start off with the bad aspects of this game. One annoying thing for me was the on-screen inventories. The game is set during a post-apocalyptic time, so venturing outside and certain parts of the metro need the assistance of a gas mask. You access it by holding a button and then selecting the gas mask. Much of everything else you need is also fount through this system. It's a good idea in theory, sadly for me, it felt clumsy at times. The game is designed to be as immersive as possible (more on this soon) so when panicked it becomes an absolute pain to change or alter something as you press every button to try and get to the right menu!

 To the immersive elements of the game, this is both a good and a bad point, sometimes the attempted immersive game play slows it all down to a bore. I can be very attentive but I found myself struggling at times with this game, especially at the start leading me to sometimes 'play' (as you can do a chapter without doing anything but listening) chapters a second time to make sure I've got everything. The game also tries to use this to emphasise a love story, and by love story I (bit of a spoiler coming here) mean what feels like a quickly put together sex scene. I can appreciate that sex can happen at any time in the real world, but it just feels a bit weird in a video game dimension, and it feels like it's just been thrown together without any real thinking. It starts, then it ends. Very strange. I'm always up for a good sex scene (being a massive Game of Thrones fan proves that sex scenes don't have to be weird or uncomfortable because they are done so well) but the one in Metro is just mind boggling. I do understand why it's there, in the grand scheme of the story but fucking hell, it's enough to put you off sex (even in a post-apocalyptic underground Russia!)

And now to the good.  Graphically this game is beautiful. Regardless of the environment you are in the developers have obviously put in some time and effort into making sure that the places look like you would expect of a ruined Russia or a populated metro tunnel. These graphics may contribute to the game sometimes freezing and other environment issues but it's one of them things where the good far outweighs the bad. If a game freezes once or twice because it's struggling with graphics that look as good as Metro's then fine by me. I'm from the 16-bit age, the fact that these guys have visible laugh lines is a fucking plus! Overall, the level design is interesting and it doesn't look like anything is just simply copy and pasted from past levels (apart from when you visit the same place twice, obviously!).

Another good aspect of the game is the storyline. I briefly mentioned the storyline earlier in this review and do not wish to go on about it. To really learn about it I would seriously suggest reading the books and playing the game. I'm really interesting in acquiring the novels. Once the initial struggle I had getting into this game was over, I really bought into the story line and the interaction with the Dark One really brings out the emotion of Artyom during the snippets where he talks during loading screens (another good touch). You really get a sense of importance, sadness, fear and happiness throughout the story by little things. I think I'm a positive gamer so was able to buy into the story easily and am so pleased I stuck by it despite it's slow start. I'm not sure if the Dark One you encounter can be seen as a sidekick but his inclusion really brings out the game. It happens toward the latter part of the game but you meet him quite early. Just thinking about the relationship really makes me happy!

The best aspect of this game, despite me stating it being a bad point earlier, is the attempted immersive ideal of the game. This is helped by the good aspects already mentioned. The graphics make you take in the area as best you can and the storyline helps you really believe you are Artyom and you are walking, shooting, running and gasping for air as you can't work out the button layout! Some of the most immersive segments of the game come from just walking around civilian areas. The amount of detail used both visual and sound make you feel as if are there. From pictures to conversations, it really makes you think and live it. You're not really doing anything at these points either, just seemingly walking from A to B, but it feels immersive. You can listen in on peoples conversations that go on for about 5 minutes, these conversations can be fairly mundane stuff to heated discussions allowing you to act the hero after the conversation has ended for some moral points. There are also parts of the missions where the game takes over, it essentially goes to a cutscene but if you're like me, you don't realise because the same engine is used for cutscenes and game play. Yes I have sat there 'playing' when I have had no control whatsoever. This game wins on the immersive levels in this respects. It can get quite weird though, but I suppose that could be seen as a good point but it just freaked me out!

Overall, I feel the game is quite rewarding. Despite it's sloppy game mechanics and weird sections, the ride of emotion and fun you have taking down different factions whilst going through the linear, character based game is well worth your time. I'm not ashamed to say that I got sad at points of this game, got happy at other parts and was truly confused by some of the twists and turns that the storyline has you going through. I am happy that by the end I totally bought into what was going on and can see the back of this game with a happy memory.

Would I play it again? Well because I got it on PS+ I will always have it on the PS3. Apparently there is a PS4 version in the works and I am very interested in this. I don't currently own a PS4 but hope this game is out when I finally out on it. If they fix the minor issues this game could be seen somewhat as a classic, the added power could mean extra levels and a less linear experience. I am definitely interested in getting it on the PS4 and will more than likely revisit the PS3 version.

Inabit.
SJ.