That was quick

Morning my readers,
Surprised to see a post from me? I would be since it's been nearly a month since the last one which promised I would update more regularly. I have been rather busy with work since this time of year is jam packed with plenty of new releases then what little time is left goes to family/loved ones then gaming time so it doesn't leave much time to write blog posts. I will try harder but I know I'm going to be more busy over the next few weeks, might try and at least dedicate an evening once a week just to get one post up. See how it goes anyway but on that note let's talk about games! it's what we are here for is it not.

So we are now slap bang in the middle of the quarter four release window, Assassin's and Battlefield have been released. We have Call of Duty about to hit along with the November line up across the next two weeks then at the end of the month the next generation consoles. Plenty to keep us busy with that's for sure and it really does surprise me how fast this time comes around, does not feel like it's been a year since the last time we did this.

I'm currently working on Assassin's Creed for the Xbox 360, could not wait for the end of the month to get my hands on the next generation version (still going to get it of course). I have clocked the story for Batman and Beyond Two souls last month, so quite happy with my progress so far. By the way Beyond Two Souls is my game of the year by far right now, honestly the story was so gripping that I cannot believe I almost did not pick this game up. Those reviewers who gave it six out of ten have no clue what they talking about, it's not Heavy Rain 2 and it was never trying to be. The story levels jumping back and forth through her history makes sense straight from the start. Just think they wanted to pick faults and want Heavy Rain 2. Anyway the game was outstanding for me and I just could not stop playing it, very rare a game makes me want to play this much.

Batman was good but it could not dislodge Beyond from the first place mark, if you loved Arkham Asylum and Arkham City you will feel right at home. Bit annoyed with some of the button mashing moments but overall a very good game and a decent story, some very geeky moments as well. I be interested in seeing where they take it next year with the Arkham City sequel, hoping for some amazing changes this time around.

So with those two games clocked here is the full list so far for my game of the year in order, of course there are more games to add once I've given them a few more hours of gameplay.

Game of the Year 2013 (Work in progress)

1. Beyond Two Souls

2. Tomb Raider

3. Batman Arkham Origins

4. Saints Row IV

5. Starcraft 2 Heart of the Swarm

6. Bioshock Infinite

7. God of War Ascension

8. Gears of War Judgement

 

So Beyond takes first place by miles and Batman is in third, it was a hard choice for second but I felt I was more excited to play Tomb Raider then when I was playing Batman. Like Beyond if I wasn't playing Tomb Raider I wanted to, I wanted to know what would happen next and the story kept me gripped. Batman was brilliant don't get me wrong but if I wasn't playing it I was not rushed to get onto my console to load it up.

 

Be interesting to see where the other releases will stand since I've got Assassins, Battlefield and Pokemon X sitting by my TV right now. Call of Duty out in a few days and end of the week Professor Layton will arrive. Right folks I need to end this post now since I've got a lot to do and I'm only just getting over my cold so I really could do with having a rest in a bit. I promise to try and get a evening dedicated each week for at least one post. Don't forget to comment and I would love to hear what your game of the years are so far.

 

Have a good one,

Iznic

Start of things to come

Morning folks,
I know the last month as been a little quiet on my side but I've been busy with work and of course gaming. Anyway to change all that starting this month I'm working on updating/changing the blog to have a well sort of fresh start. Already you should notice that several page links at the top are missing which have been deleted since I felt they was not needed, over the next two weeks I will be changing a few more things and probably get rid of some more stuff as well.

Not sure if they overall layout will change yet since I did take a look at some new design templates which looked awesome but I felt they was hard to navigate. We will see anyway as I play about over the next few weeks. So I thought it would be a good time to give you guys an update anyway since there is a lot to talk about. First up I finish the Grand Theft Auto V storyline the other day, a very good game in the end although there was a few disappoints that I really wanted to see. Still it was amazing and I would give it a solid 8/9 if I was to review it, don't think it deserved the 10's I keep seeing though. Looking forward to playing the multiplayer now but going to hang off a few days to allow the teething problems to be sorted first. Hearing huge connection problems, disconnects and loading, plus missing cars which is always good.

Also I'm gutted because the main thing I bought this game for was multiplayer to play some heists with friends, first they delay the multiplayer and now the heists are not in the game and will be patched in "later" with no date. So much for the huge bank robbery with your mates, had it all planned out to the T.

GTA aside I have done some more in Pokemon Black 2 and all I have left is to beat the elite four which should then complete the story campaign, need to get that done this week so I'm ready for Pokemon X/Y. Re-started Diablo 3 again and I mean I've picked up where I left off the other week, in fact I defeated another boss last night which completed Act 2 so I would say I'm at least half-way through. Trying to get this done over the next week since I'm going to trade it in for Beyond Two Souls. Yes originally I was not going to pick up Beyond but I played the demo and walked away stunned with how amazing the game is. In fact check out this link to IGN which shows two videos for the same part of the demo (part of what I played), things can happen differently depending on how you played it. So yeah one more game to pick up this month now thanks to that demo, really cannot wait actually to sit down with it.

Right I'm going to have to shoot since I need to go get myself sorted ready for work but expect some more posts over the next few days while I get back into the swing of things Also keep your eyes open on the blog for some new updated changes as well.
~Iznic

Overload

Good morning readers,
What a week it as been for me and I bet you guys have been busy as well, in fact I bet a lot of you will be playing Grand Theft Auto right now. Yes I picked it up on the day and so far only put in around an hour but I am enjoying it, bit shocked in some ways since the last one really did not appeal to me when I tried it. Looking forward to the multiplayer more though since I want to work with some friends to do all the heists, was a bit annoyed with that being locked for two weeks but oh well least I can try out the controls in the singleplayer campaign.

Nothing really to report this week with games being clocked or anything since I'm still working on them. I did promise myself I would work on Diablo 3 but not had chance so far to be honest, mostly since I could not stop playing Payday 2 over the weekend. Such an amazing game and yes it can get repetitive but it's a lot of fun, in fact I was having a co-op day on the first Payday just last Sunday. Completed all but one mission out of the full list (minus the DLC since not got that yet) since it was extremely hard, never had so much trouble with a level before, but oh well it was a laugh anyway.

So yeah nothing to report but I will report that a lot of my collection was gutted last week, PS4 fund is growing and I really do need to sit down to work out what I want on the launch day. Do I just get one game or two, if so which ones and what accessories will I be wanting.

Speaking of saving and spending, I forgot I had pre-ordered Kingdom Hearts with shopto.net. Such a rookie mistake I know and especially since I was going to just wait for it but yeah it arrived mid-week to my surprise. Had a little go but the start was so boring with the tutorial but I think it's just picking up now finally, won't get to play it too much now though since I will be focusing on Diablo 3 and GTA. Once I've clocked those two I will go back to it ASAP along with Splinter Cell since I really do not want to let my pile of shame regrow again.

Not sure what else to write about now since I think I have covered everything, so before I go I will leave you with this very cool multiplayer trailer for Battlefield 4. How amazing does this look? the flooded level and snow landscape are my favourite two so far.




~Iznic

The Great Clean Up

Morning folks,
Up early since I'm currently having a clean up with my pile of shame. Yesterday I decided enough was enough, I've still got quite a few games in my collection after all the trade-in's over the last year but I still got plenty that are not being played. I love my RPG's and I have tons sitting on shelf, some still sealed from over two years ago. My excuse being I will play them soon and that they would be hard to get again if I trade them in.

Well enough! there is plenty coming out that I really want and I can honestly most of the games I would not play this side of Christmas. Some even I cannot see myself playing after Christmas into 2014, so I'm going through the pile and pulling them out for trade in. Wondering how I'm deciding what to keep? well my most favourite games will be staying, my all time favourite stuff like Halo, Gears and Assassin's etc. Some stuff won't be worth trading in like the £1 and £2 so they will be kept on the side, once I've played them then I might trade them in.

But yeah anyway I'm working on it and all the funds raised will go to the next-generation console, right now my sights is set on the PlayStation 4. If I can raise enough funds then it be games next and maybe if I really do good (doubt it, highly doubt it) I would love to get the Xbox One as well. So yes folks over the next few days I will be busy tiding up and working on to reset my collection. It's not all cleaning though I am playing some great games as well.

First up I'm still working on Diablo 3 although I've not touched in the last few days due to other interests. I will be correcting that today since I really want to put some time into it and get it clocked, might even trade it in after I finish the story. Don't see myself being in the mood to work on the Platinum for a while, especially with so much coming out. That's my first game I'm playing and the second believe it or not is Payday 2. The other night I was watching some "Let's play" youtube videos and got to watch the game in action, it looked awesome.

I tried out Payday the Heist due to getting it free with PlayStation Plus and after two missions I was hooked. Picked up Payday 2 yesterday due to the massive improvements I saw in the video and yesterday I did three quick missions with the A.I. It was brilliant although I did make a rookie mistake during a deposit box robbery, shot the camera outside the bank setting the alarms off before even getting inside the place. Place was swarming with the Police before I had even setup the drill, lesson learnt be more careful!.

So that is my games I'm currently playing right now but I have got several I want to pick up, in fact next GTA 5 is out and it's on my radar now. I like the idea of setting heists and stuff so watching some more videos I want it, plus the idea of the huge multiplayer crew to help just made the deal a lot better. So next week I will be picking up that and I expect my time will be taken up by it, in fact I probably really give Diablo 3 a huge blast this weekend in attempt to try and get it completed it in time.

Busy busy anyway, plenty to play and plenty to tidy up so on this note I'm going to head off and continue with gathering my trade-ins together. Have a good one folks and thanks for reading my nonense!
~Iznic

Pokemon Shiny Event

Folks don't forget that in the UK right now is the shiny legendary event, I say this now because the first Pokemon is about to end on Friday so it's your last chance.

Shiny Dialga is the current Pokemon you can gain right now and then on Friday it will switch over to Palkia, later on and finally Giratina. Not sure how to get your hands on these Pokemon well pop into your local GAME retail store and bring your copy of Pokemon White/Black/White 2/Black 2 along with your DS/3DS.

Just boot the game up and load up mystery gift then check out the wireless connection, all the stores should have a DS in store distributing the Pokemon over a wi-fi channel. It's that simple so don't miss out while you still can get them, don't forget the chances of getting a shiny in the game is something like 1 in 8,000+.

~Iznic


P.S. Gamestop in North America is running this event as well but using a different times and dates so check out your local store for details. Same for any other countries around the world, check out your local major retailer for information or serebii.net will have the answer for you.

Very soon...Patch 5.4

The new cinematic trailer for patch 5.4 for World of Warcraft is up and I'm very excited, really need to get myself a team together to try out the raid. 



I have started to get back into Warcraft this week when I heard that 5.3 was a pre-event for this new event, so I did the introduction quests and got myself a shiny new title/achievement along with the exclusive pet as well. Did not want to miss out on that but it did rekindle that spark so hopefully over the weekend I can pour a few more hours into the game and start getting my character back on track.

Anyway on that note I'm ending this post since it was just meant to be a quick update with the new trailer, will do a proper blog post soon enough though.
Iznic

Gaming Overload

Morning folks,
First before I go into my weekend I should apologise for the bad link in my last post for the Batman Collectors edition. Did not realise that the trailer link was not working so I've just corrected that so you can now watch the latest trailer. Again sorry about that not sure why I did not spot that when I put the post up, must been in a rush or something.

Anyway back to the original point of this post, two more games completed this weekend! that's right folks I finally finished Phantasy Star Universe. This was a big one for me since I've had this game for years and no doubt it was one of the first few games to start my pile of shame off. Plus the fact it was my first Japanese RPG game that I've fully completed to the end. Not a bad story but I would not say it was great or anything, same for the controls and gameplay just ok.

Wish I had played this a lot sooner though because I would have given the multiplayer more time now that I know what to do. Unfortunately the servers have closed so the last three expansion DLC achievements are beyond my reach now. Traded the game in anyway yesterday so that will go towards Diablo 3 next week for the PlayStation 3, looking forward to that game right now.

So what was the second game I completed you ask, well believe it or not Saints Row IV was clocked on Monday. Not all the game just the main story so I still have quite a few side quests to do and the collectibles. Really enjoyed it and I mean it was one of the better games this year, at first I was a bit worried that the super powers would ruin it but instead it turned out like Crackdown where it was a ton of fun. Also there are ton of brilliant parts to the game that are just worth buying for, a Metal Gear Solid level and a Streets of Rage level just quote two.

I'm really happy I got this clocked and hopefully I can do the same for the other games I picked up Friday, also got Disney Infinity and Splinter Cell. Disney Infinity is amazing and so addictive, the toy box is amazing which is sort like Minecraft but not as in depth. Can not describe how much fun this game is anyway, last night I was racing around the wreck-it-ralph track with the soundtrack playing while riding a Mickey Mouse car as Jack Sparrow. This game as potential and I just hope they release some more playsets later on and really expand it.

Splinter Cell I've not touched yet since I wanted to get Saints Row out of the way first, it will be my next game this week to play just waiting for spare hours. Really hoping to get an hour or two today but might be the weekend instead. That's it anyway folks for my weekend, busy with buying and playing games. Plans for this week onwards is to start Splinter Cell, try and finish Pokemon Black 2 sometime and continue to have fun with Disney Infinity.

Before I leave I will update my Game of the Year progress so far, Saints Row was amazing but I still think Tomb Raider was better out of the two so it's taking second place right now. It will be interesting to see where Splinter Cell goes. Disney Infinity I want a few more hours before I make a decision with this game and same goes for Plants vs Zombies 2.

Game of the Year 2013 (Work in progress)

1. Tomb Raider

2. Saints Row IV

3. Starcraft 2 Heart of the Swarm

4. Bioshock Infinite

5. God of War Ascension

6. Gears of War Judgement

 

Right I'm off folks, have a good one and hopefully you enjoying the new games.

~Iznic

Batman Arkham Origins Trailer and Collector Editions

Gamescon is in full swing right now and of course plenty of new trailers for the upcoming games have started coming out. This one below is one of my favourites which introduces Firefly to the mix of villains in the new Batman Arkham game. Plus the fact you get to see a lot more of what you will be up against.


Try and tell me you not excited to play this game? seriously cannot wait for October so I can get my hands on this. But this is not all the news for Batman, last week while I was on holiday the special editions was announced and shown off.

This awesome collectors edition is for North America and I'm hearing Australia as well. Seriously gutted to hear that because that has to be one of the best figurines I've ever seen. And yes there are LED lights in the TV screens behind the joker. This bad ass collectors edition comes with the following goodies:

• Deathstroke challenge pack
• Joker Figurine
• Collectors box
• Batman Wanted Poster
• 80 page artwork book
• Batwing prototype schematic
• 1st appearance Batman skin
• Glow in the dark map of Gotham
• Anarky logo stencil
• Wayne family photo
•  Assassin Intel dossier
• Villains of DC documentary DVD
• 2 key pieces of evidences from the Crime lab of Gotham Police department

One amazing collectors edition that is for sure and I really hope they change their mind and release it every where else as well. Anyway the second one is for Europe only and is very similar to the leaked one we saw a few months back with some changes, I'm guessing the changes was done on purpose thanks to the leak.

As you can see the figurine base as changed a lot and now Joker is no longer holding the joke gun. The box and steelbook as also changed in design from the leaked version. Anyway onto the list of goodies for this edition.

• Deathstroke challenge pack
• 30cm high figurine
• 80 page artwork book
• Assassin Intel dossier
• steelbook with 3D effect
• Collectors box
• 1st appearance Batman skin

The steelbook new design is pretty sweet and I still like the figurine but I did prefer the leaked version over this. In the UK this edition is also exclusive to Amazon.co.uk so my order is down with them right now, hopefully it won't be too much of wait to get it delivered.

So what do you guys think of the new trailer and collector editions? happy? excited? drop a message with your thoughts.
~Iznic

Back from the holiday

Good morning folks,
Well I'm back from my holiday and it went too fast for my liking, in fact it's my first day back to work today so I'm already down in the dumps. Wish I was back on holiday enjoying the sea side and playing Pokemon, what you really thought I would not play at least one game on my holiday. Should know me better then that by now, anyway I did get my last two gym badges for Pokemon Black 2 while I was down there. So I'm now very close to finishing the game, well I say that but I'm sure the story ending is probably going to be quite long then there is the Elite Four to challenge. At least another week of gaming I see ahead for me on that one.

On the plus side it will be one more game complete and I will be ready for Pokemon X/Y, also I've almost finished Phantasy Star Universe. In fact I just clocked chapter nine and I think there is around twelve so I really want to go all out this week to clock it. Want to trade it in for one of the games that comes out Friday since there is a lot. I am excited though because this will be my first JRPG I will have completed. After all these years and collected plenty of those type of games I've never finished one fully. Expect a post later on this week with me cheering and being hyper.

So onto the important thing about this week, the new releases begin!! that's right the end of year line up starts for me this week. I've got on my list Splintercell Blacklist, Saints Row IV, XCOM the Bureau and new to my list Disney Infinity. Originally it was not even on my radar even though the concept looked quite cool but after watching some of the reviews I was amazed with the toy box mode.It sounds like a lot of fun and the possibilities with future expansions it could be amazing, plus the fact once I told the girlfriend about it and she was up for playing it which is a rarity in it's self. Of course that means having to do some trade ins to get the funds needed. Pretty much got rid of all my unwanted games now that I don't see myself playing this side of Christmas at any rate.

To make matters worse only just yesterday the date was given for the PlayStation 4, which for the UK is the 29th November. Right at the end of all the games releases and I count at least eight games that are coming out on launch for me, where to begin! so I'm currently looking at my want list and making some edits to it. Hopefully now we got some dates we will see more information for the games like dates and specials editions. Anyway on that note I need to run since I have work, take care folks and I will try and catch up with you again soon.
~Iznic

Nearly here

Morning gamers,
I know it's been a while since my last post but I've been busy with weddings, work and getting ready for my holiday (finally). Also while I've been doing these things the constant reminder that the big launches are just around the corner is on the back of my mind. For me the end of year big releases starts on the 23rd of this month with three games coming out on the same day. Then barely just after a week two more release with a game each week after that, then don't get me started on October and November.

I am in the middle of working out which ones I would rather have more since of the cost, it's even worse with all the different collector editions that are out there. Especially with the games that have multiple like Ubisoft's stuff. So anyway I thought I would give you a look at my list of games that I'm looking into, of course this is the unedited version before I start cutting any out.

Friday 23rd August
> Saints Row 4
> XCOM The Bureau
> Splinter Cell Black list

Friday 30th August
> Lost Planet 3

Tuesday 3rd September
> Diablo 3
> Rome 2 Total War

Friday 6th September
> Killzone Mercenary

Friday 13th September
> Kingdom Hearts HD Collection

Tuesday 17th September
> Grand Theft Auto V

Tuesday 27th September
> Disgaea D2

Friday 11th October
> Beyond Two Souls
> Pokemon X & Y

Friday 18th October
> Lego Marvel Heroes

Friday 25th October
> Batman Arkham Origins
> Batman Arkham Origins Black Gate

Friday 1st November
> Assassin's Creed 4
> Battlefield 4
> Angry Birds Star Wars

Tuesday 5th October
> Call of Duty Ghosts

Friday 22nd November
> Watch_Dogs


Not a bad list really and don't forget I've still got the next-generation console to throw into their as well with the launch games that I want. Wish they hurry with the dates because I believe a lot of publishers are holding off giving information on their games until the dates are announced. Well I better shoot off since I need to head to work, would love to hear if you have a list of games.

Until next time have a good one folks,
~Iznic

Plans for the evening

Morning folks,
Will be rushing off in a second to head to work but I thought it was about time I got a general post up, I was planning to type this up after work but the more time I got later the better. Over the last week I've not really done much gaming, the only thing to report was I finished the last two-three levels of Defence Grid and that was it.

So yesterday I finally sat down and finish chapter four off for Phantasy Star Universe and then finished Episode 3 of Phoenix Wright Trials and Tribulations. Not a bad way to end the day to be honest but anyway I decided I wanted to do a gaming evening tonight. Planning to try and get the fifth chapter completed for Phantasy Star, well depends on how the boss battle turns out. Then I'm going to jump onto World of Warcraft, my timecard ran out a few weeks back and my new one has just been sitting on my desk since. No doubt I've lost a ton of items in my mail box again, really need to be more organised with that. So yeah anyway I want to reboot it up and do a few quests, see what the new patches have brought.

After that going to take it as it goes, thinking either to jump onto Star Wars Old Republic or watch a movie. Not sure at this point but depends on how the first two games go, might get wrapped up into them and lose all my time.

That's my plans for today and for the rest of the week will be pretty much the same with me trying to finish off Phantasy Star. I'm also tempted to try out a new game that I was looking into last night, Planetside 2. SOE new FPS MMO that is free-to-play, watched a few videos last night and I am really tempted. Reminds me a lot of Battlefield in most ways.



Might try and download the client this week, give it a few hours try but not sure yet since I've got plenty to play already. We will see and on that note I better go run since I will be late for work, have a good one folks and I will try to post soon again.

~Iznic

P.S. On a finally note I will leave you with a gameplay video

Pokemon Event and X/Y Preorder Bonus

There as been quite a bit of information released for Pokemon over the last few days so I thought it be wise to do a post around it in case someone misses it. First off there is a giant Pokemon event happening soon where you can download three shiny legendary Pokemon for Black 2 and White 2.

For those in the UK it's a GAME event and all stores will be taking part (that I can see), it starts 30th August with Shiny Dialga and will end on 12th September. Then the day after 13th September you will be able to download Shiny Palkia up until 26th September. Finally on the 27th September Shiny Giratina will be up for download until th 12th October.

As you can see this all tied into the release of Pokemon X and Y, they have also announced in the UK that GAME will have a exclusive pre-order bonus. A Pokeball 3DS cartridge holder which can be seen below.

Very cool and I better start working on finishing Black 2 ready for X and Y, think I've got 6 of my 8 badges so far so not long now. One last thing was mentioned last night on the GAME twitter account that over the next few weeks there will be some Pokemon news worth checking back for. Really hoping it will be the announcement of the themed 3DS XL's that Japan is getting. Now before I go I have posted the dates for the North America download below which is being run by GAMESTOP, check with your local store to make sure they taking part.

North America Pokemon Download Event - GAMESTOP
19th August - 8th September Shiny Dialga
9th September - 29th September Shiny Palkia
30th September - 20th October Shiny Giratina


see you soon folks,
 ~Iznic




Source of Story: serebii.net
Source of Image: GAME Digital Twitter Account
Source of Story: GAME Facebook Account

Summer Heat

Well it's finally cooled down in the UK today and less of a heatwave compared to the last few days. Since I'm no longer suffering I thought it would be a good time to do a update for the blog and to remind you I'm still alive.

So onwards to my gaming progress which is not a lot to report about this week, did a few levels of Company of Heroes 2. So far I'm really enjoying it but I don't feel the spark like I did with the first game, although the current mission I'm playing right now has opened more gameplay features so my mind might be changed soon.

Other then that I have put a few more hours into XCOM for the PS3, working my way through so far but man I'm struggling trying to keep one of my team all way through every mission I play. Started with four candidates and now I'm down to two, plus I'm not even close to half way through the game yet.

Final game I've been playing is Defense Grid the tower defence game on the Xbox Live Arcade, yes it was a free game for several weeks but I had purchased it years ago (just never got around to playing it). I have to say it's one of the best tower defence games I've played in a long time, really stuck into it and I'm about three to four levels to go from completing the story. I probably will go back and work on getting gold medals for every level but right now I'm just making my progress through the game.

That is it for my gaming progress, not a lot really but I have been busy and my spare time that I do have has been taken up trying to stay cold during the heat. My action plan for this week is, well ... I don't know really. I guess work on these games some more and see if I can clock something, I need to continue with Phantasy Star as well. I was really doing well with that but I stopped some time last week half way through a level, really should get back onto that before I forget the controls and need to start over.

Could do with some Warcraft time as well since I've got a brand new time card sitting on my desk waiting to be used, no doubt I've lost some items that I had in my mail. Really need to be a bit more organised with that. Actually speaking of Warcraft I wanted to talk about the new figurine sets and micro transactions that was announced this week.

This awesome figurine has turned up at Comic con this year and I really want it, I know from the size this thing will cost a small fortune but it would be so worth it. For those who don't play Warcraft this is Deathwing one of my the main bad guys in the lore, anyway I'm looking forward to seeing the painted outcome. Also announced was the first line of new micro transactions for the game, cosmetic armour helmets.

I like all of them but the Eternal Winter looks the best in my books, although they do look awesome the cost is not. £10 each is a ridiculous price for what you getting, it is cool that every character you own and any future ones you make will get this item. It's just hard to imagine paying £30 for all three which is the cost of the expansion at full price on day of launch. I really do wonder how many people have forked out the money for these items.

Anyway on that note let's change the topic to one more announcement before I end this post and that's a new game has been announced, well sort of anyway. Angry Birds Star Wars is finally coming to the consoles, took long enough to port it over. I'm really excited because it was announced that the PlayStation Vita will be getting it as well, this will be perfect for the Vita touch screen. Plus it's finally another game to get on the Vita but of course there is a bad side to this announcement. Europe release date is the 1st November 2013, yeah they launching it on the same day as Assassin's Creed 4 and Battlefield 4. Plus a few days after is Call of Duty Ghosts and any time around there the next-generation consoles. What a bad time to release a casual game like that, you would think they would aim for September/October or even wait until January/February next year. I would had got it on day one but since of the time it's going onto the wait list for now.


That's it folks for today so thanks for taking the time to read my thoughts, have a good one and I will catch up with you soon.
~Iznic

Batman Arkham Origins Collectors Edition Leaked

Looks like someone as leaked the collectors edition for the new Batman Arkham Origins game, check out the image below which looks very real and less likely to be a fake.

Look how awesome this is! soon as I saw the picture this just went straight to the top of my want list. Holographic collectors box which looks amazing plus look at the 3D steelbook case for the game. About time they did a true steelbook for the game, the Arkham City was too flimsy and easy to dent.

Of course that is probably not what you paying attention to right now and instead drooling over the figurine! Batman holding Joker in a threatening way yet Joke with the classic joke banner gun and laughing. It's brilliant and blows the Arkham City one out of the water by far. I need to make space on my shelf for this beauty, a day one must buy and I cannot wait for pre-orders to start.

Gutting though because I was trying to cut some costs down earlier since my want list is huge, another collectors edition I was not expecting. Argh why doesn't money grow on trees!
~Iznic

P.S. Now for the long wait for official reveal and see who is taking pre-orders and for what cost.


Source of Story and Image: Official Xbox Magazine

Another Platinum

Morning folks,
Really did not want to get out of bed this morning, so hope everyone is ok and having some great gaming time. I'm enjoy the British summer while gaming my evenings away, plenty of fun. Actually while I'm typing this I've got The Simpsons Tapped Out on the iPad playing.

It's not a bad game, basically its a free to play game for the iOS devices but has no become available on Andriod through google play.



Basically Homer has blown up Springfield so it's up to you to rebuild it with the help of Homer and Lisa. You place the buildings where you want, sign jobs to the characters which earns you money and XP. Buildings also generate XP and Money over time as well, the xp levels you up which unlocks more story quests which unlocks new characters, buildings etc which of course you use the money for to build.

It's pretty fun game but can get repetitive quite easily and there is a lot of premium items that costs donuts which you can get a few free but the rest you have to buy. That's where I draw the line because some of the pricing is ridiculous, one of the event items unlocked a wishing well with the Leprechaun character and that cost roughly £7. So yeah if you do start playing this game be careful what you buying through the premium service.

Anyway back to good things about the game, well the story is written by the shows writers and the voices are doing by the right actors/actresses. Holiday events having been occurring in the past year, we have had Halloween, Christmas, Valentines Day, Saint Patricks Day, 4th July and so on. My verdict is worth playing, it's free so you cannot lose just be careful spending on the premium stuff.

Now I really should get back to the original post I wanted to write out, was not expecting to do a small review of the game. So yeah where was I, oh yeah I got the Platinum trophy for the retail version of Back to the Future. That's pretty much it for my gaming this week, reason being with Lovefilm turning off the game rentals I wanted to get as much out of my rental list as I can before the August deadline. I will be working on Phantasy Star Online again tonight, hopefully get a chapter or two out of the way. Got a few days off over the weekend so I'm hoping to get a small gaming marathon at one point, trying and get a few chapters done. Maybe even put some more time into the Last of Us as well finally.

In fact I could do with putting some into my MMO games since they have been sitting their for weeks. Maybe sort out a MMO night some time in the week and try to make it a regular thing, could be fun. Anyway folks on that note I'm going to shoot since I need to get a few jobs done before I head to work.
~Iznic

Summer is here

Morning folks,
Blimey it's hot in the UK right now and I'm not a fan, hay fever has been playing me up rotten although I have now got some tablets that seem to work. So prefer the winter where it's so much easier to get yourself wrapped up to be warm, much harder to get cool.

Anyway enough of me ranting about the good weather and time for an update on the gaming side of my life. Well I'm currently playing quite a few games right now, first up I have the retail disc version of Back to the Future from lovefilm. Currently playing that on the side so I'm slowly working my way towards the platinum trophy, in fact I'm a bit annoyed with Lovefilm right now. It was announced last week they will be dropping games rental soon, then it was announced the other day it stops on August 8th. Talk about a short notice and no reason why, although there is a lot speculation it has to do with the next-generation games. Why can the whole thing I have no idea since the PS3 and Xbox 360 will be still getting games for a long time. Shame though since I rental quite a lot of games through, either to try something I'm not sure on or to play something on a different format. 

Side from that bad news I have started Phantasy Star Universe, if you remember in my last post I had three games to choose from. So far I've completed the first three chapters and I'm actually enjoying it, still won't keep it once I'm done but it's not as bad as I thought it would be. The chapters are like anime episodes with opening songs and closing songs, plus previews for the next episode. Gameplay is massively repetitive with you just running through rooms/fields and corridors, kill x amount of bad guys to get a key to open the next area. Then either a mini boss or boss fight at the end, then that's it really.

Also some good news folks I did put a little into The Last of Us yesterday and I've finally got a bit further into the game, think it's about to open up now so hurray for that. I will be trying to put some more time into it over the next few days as well.

Finally I've pretty much back to where I was with Phoenix Wright Trials and Tribulations, in the middle of the third episode. Usually play handheld games on the weekend when I'm out and about but I've not worked on it the last two weeks since I've been busy. Well last Saturday I spent a few hours on it and now I'm onto new story that I don't recognise. Again will be working on this in the future and trying to get it completed so I can work on Apollo Justice.

That's it folks in the ways of my gaming, not much really exciting just slowly making my way through the collection. Oh I did nearly forget to say I finished the story for Bulletstorm on PS3, couple of more trophies for my collection. Did delete it the other day so I've now got some space on my hard drive, well did have since I've downloaded X-COM to play. Really love that game and wanted to play it again, started up the first two missions again so yeah another game to play on the side. Yeah I'm one of those people who play a ton of games at the same time, it's very rare I will just play one unless it's amazing beyond words.

Anyway that's it for my gaming today but I do want to speak about a few things, first up have you seen the list of upcoming games at the end of the year yet?. I checked last night and I think from the end of October to the end of November there is a game every week I want. Last year all over again but this time all the games are triple A in my books and pretty much all coming with collector editions I want. Plus add in the fact there are two next-generation consoles to be released around the same time as well. Dreading it to be honest and not sure where I'm going to get the time to play all this stuff.

Speaking of future games I will be doing the changes to the Upcoming Games and Next-Generation pages on my blog over the next few days. I will post up once everything starts along with some details on what I'm doing with them so keep an eye out for that.

Ok think that is it for me today, I'm going to go enjoy my day so have a good one folks and I will catch up with you soon.
~Iznic

E3 2013 Microsoft Conference

Finally the last video is now up and it only took me a whole month after E3 to get them up, sorry for the delay folks. Anyway first is the conference video thanks to IGN and then of course below are my thoughts on the games I liked.



Of course let's start with Metal Gear Solid, not really played any of them to be honest so I cannot say I'm a fan really but my god that opening demo was impressive. I was really impressed with the graphics and open world that truly seemed to live around you. If I was to give Metal Gear a try then it would start with this game.

Next up the new Xbox Plus system, still cannot help but chuckle at this. I have no idea why they now jump on the PlayStation bandwagon and from the looks only until Xbox One comes out. Just makes no sense to me and the fact we talking really old games as well, why even bother. Of course I might take that back if they offer some amazing games next month or something. Fable 3 at E3 time was a nice touch just shame I already have it in my collection.

New Dark Souls 2 trailer looked amazing and the boss fight they showed off, dang what a fight and I'm still confused about the mirror shield. Was the character stuck in their? looked awesome none the less but still reminds me that I need to complete the first one and Demons Souls. I say that like it's easy when I know it could take months for each. Not sure I will get this on day of launch since I've not really touched the first two, bit of waste of money really but we will see.

Ok next up is Ryse the Xbox One exclusive and now at the start I was put off from the demo. It looked to massively linear and stuck in a small section where you have to fight one on one. Not my cup of tea that but then the demo opened up and it really got interesting, I love the formation scene then the huge battle in the tower where you see some brutal combo moves and of course more of a God of War style combat fighting. At this point I would get it on day launch but of course I would love to see some more footage to make sure it is the right game for me and that my first thoughts was not right.

Minecraft coming to the Xbox One ... not sure what to say to that to be honest, at first I was like so they just porting it over and making you pay again. But then they talk about larger maps and more online players, that got my interest straight away. If we are talking PC version multiplayer then giant time lapse projects could be possible on the console. My mind went into overdrive thinking of different projects I could do with my friends so yeah this went from "doubt I will buy it" to a "omg want".

Quantum Break, seriously what is this game about? a tv show mixed with a game? are they merged? seriously they show off some great trailers but really could do with the information and a proper demo being played while being explained. Until then I'm not even getting my hopes up for this.

Now let's talk about something I'm really excited about and that's Project Spark, when I first saw it I thought of something like Little Big Planet mixed with a few pc games. Then as they went on I really got excited about it, watching them place the village then start playing while still building was brilliant. The game reminds me a lot of Fable but that's a good thing, I really want this game right now and I've even signed up for the Beta. Using the smartglass features was a nice touch as well, I can see this being great for creating the landscape. So yeah this will be a must buy for me but like to know the difference between the Xbox 360 and Xbox One versions.

Talk about a teaser, Witcher 3 logo and a bit of information what they want to do with the next generation consoles and then a small teaser trailer. Could be good but need some gameplay plus again I really need to play the past ones, I'm sure I've got the second one for the Xbox 360 sitting on my shelf sealed somewhere.

Some more gameplay footage for Battlefield 4 but I'm at the point now that I've seen enough, hopefully they don't show any more extra stuff because at this rate I will have seen the entire game. It looks amazing and will be a must purchase this Christmas, hopefully it be a day one launch title for the new consoles as well.

New Halo game which to be honest I think everyone was expecting, not sure what to make of this weird flying robot though. I would love to know what this game is anyway since they all saying now its not Halo 5 so is it a spin off series? or something else. Either way the new CGI looks amazing so I have high hopes for the graphics and the game it self.

Some more Titanfall footage which is looking amazing and such a shame it's next year, I know there is plenty coming out this year but still I cannot help but want it right now. And on that note that is the end of the Microsoft conference and my thoughts.

Thanks for taking the time to check out all these posts and my ramblings, hopefully all of you enjoyed E3 and looking forward to all these new games. Think this year holiday season will be one of the biggest launches in gaming history and I cannot wait.
~Iznic

E3 2013 Sony Conference

Finally getting around to getting up the posts for the main two big conferences, starting off with the Sony one of course. Right now the PlayStation 4 is looking to be my first next-generation console so I was looking forward to seeing what else they had up their sleeve for the console.



Like all my posts for E3 I will only be speaking about the stuff that interests me, sorry folks. Anyway let's start with Beyond Two Souls a game that I'm not too sure what to make of to be honest. It looks amazing but yet I keep hearing different things about the story and every time we see a new trailer it's a completely different place. One minute shes on the run from the Police then the next shes an homeless girl on the street and now a agent working for the FBI/CIA. Really worried they trying to do too much with this game and that it will become one giant mess, fingers crossed it won't happen though.

Small glimpse of the new Batman Arkham Origins which is looking to be just has good as the other games, love the new grappling hooks that attaches to two things. Also glad to see the Joker will be in it although I'm hearing this will be their first meeting which could be awesome if it's done right.

Next up The Order 1886 and what a nice surprise that was, although it reminds me in some ways of a HD Dishonored with the setting. Looking forward to seeing some gameplay and more information for this game when the time comes, hopefully at Gamescon next month.

Killzone Shadowfall is still looking beautiful so far and the new A.I companion bot could be useful, I'm still on the side lines with this game. Mostly because in the past Killzone has a reputation of showing off awesome trailers but delivering something different to what we see. Don't think it will be the case here but I just don't want to get my hopes up just yet.

Final Fantasy XV not a surprise there to be honest, soon as the delays started for Versus XIII it was clear they wanted to hold off for the next-generation consoles. Glad they did because the small fight scene gameplay they showed off looks breath taking and it reminds me I really need to finish a Final Fantasy game. I was a bit surprised when they announced Kingdom Hearts 3 straight after this trailer though, well it's in development finally but still. Need to get the HD collection so I can start playing the series, in fact I think I have one and two still sealed for the PS2 under my bed somewhere.

Next up one of my games that I am looking forward too, Assassin's Creed 4 Black Flag and they showed off a demo. Now at first I got really worried, the graphics looked amazing but it looked like every other Assassin game. Follow the target and stay hidden while you listen in for information, but then it just got amazing. Watching the town get blasted apart then having the Edward jump onto his ship and jump seamless into the ship battle with no loading screen. Thank you Ubisoft! I really cannot wait to get my hands on this game now. Shame the demo crashed during the ship fight but still it looks like this game will be everything I want.

Another nice surprise was the demo for Watch_Dogs, think Sony and Ubisoft wanted to get me hyper. Really cannot describe how excited I am for these two games. I loved how they used the cameras to guide his mate past the patrols but at the same time take action to take out a guard or two yourself. Fingers crossed both of these games will be launch titles for the PlayStaton 4.

I'm having to re watch the conference, well fast forwarding anyway to remember what games was shown because there was a lot. I was really surprised how much stuff I wanted from this years E3, don't think there was a conference without any games I wanted. Anyway back to the games and they did show of Elderscrolls Online coming to the consoles. Really not sure what to make of this game because it looks just like any other MMO and nothing special, glad to see they gone for the first person approach since everyone wanted that interface. But still just not sure about it because I feel there will be nothing amazing to make it stand out.

Nice way to end the conference with was the Destiny gameplay demo, ignoring of course the script talking the game looked amazing. Seriously though the guy needed to be more quiet and learn to aim because I lost count how many times he was shooting the floor. Still though the game is going to be awesome if it's done right.

So that is it folks for the Sony conference and from me this morning, I need to go get myself sorted for the day. Have a good one and I will catch you all later!
~Iznic

New Pokemon 3DS XL Consoles

About a week ago it was announced in Japan that there was two new special edition 3DS XL's coming out for the Pokemon X and Y launch. Of course at the time no pictures appeared and since then I've been keeping my eyes open for them. Well they arrived yesterday and my god they look awesome, out the two I have to say the Gold one is my favourite. But if I can get the funds together I would get both of them for my collection.

Just look at the amazing artwork on it, I love the forest and cloud effects on both sides. At this point in time both consoles are only for Japan so far, waiting for confirmation for a UK/Europe/USA launch. This Gold one can only be ordered from the Pokemon Centres in Japan.

I was a bit worried at first when I saw this blue thanks to the white outlines, I thought it be like the Fire Emblem or Pokemon White DSI's where the lines was too thin so the picture does not stand out. But I don't think I need to worry from the looks of it, I love the black on the Y Pokemon and I really need to learn the new names. This one is going to be available from all major retailers in Japan and both come with a digital copy of the new Pokemon game, although one will have Y and the other X. Pretty sweet if you want both then you can have both copies of the game as well.

Anyway I've got my fingers crossed that these beautiful machines will arrive in the UK, would love to have one of them or even both for my collection to go along side my Pikachu and Toad console.
~Iznic

Success!

Afternoon folks,
Well yesterday was the first time in ages I was able to accomplish all my tasks that I had set out to do for the day, ignoring the non gaming stuff I did get the two platinum trophies yesterday evening like I had hoped. I was shocked because I really did not think the Ratchet and Clank QForce would appear for a while, but after two hours of grinding it popped on my second run. Had to take a break since it was getting to me watching Ratchet run around in circles and keep jumping off cliffs to hover safely down.

So I will be updating my blog stats again in a bit to add these two new completed games and now it leaves me with the difficult task of choosing some new games to play. I will be trying to motivate myself to play The Last of Us over the next few days but I need a game or two to play on the side when I'm not in the mood to play it. I've got plenty to choose from and I'm thinking I really need to work on games that I won't keep once I've finished them, the more trade-ins I've got the better. Plenty of new games and consoles coming out at the end of the year that I want so what not save some money using old games that I don't want anymore.

With that in mind I do have a few games that stand out to me, first is Phantasy Star Universe from Sega. Once I've played the singleplayer story I really cannot see myself sticking with it after, there are few achievements online but I tried that in the past and hated it. It's also an MMO so you have to pay for the subscription to play online, after getting two of the boss achievements trying to get the others was just too much of a pain for me (scratch that just saw the servers was shut down last September lol). Anyway so that's one game right there, next is the Tomb Raider HD Trilogy on the PS3. I picked it up cheap to play it again for trophies a long time ago and never got around to it, now I own the Underworld on digital thanks to the PlayStation Plus. Don't really need to keep it once I've finished it since I do have Anniversary and Legends on the Xbox 360 (special editions as well).

 
Final game that jumps out to me is Skylanders Spyro's Adventure, think I only did the first level or two and never been back since. Friend from work as told me it's a good 1,000 gamer score and not a bad game, the only problem is if I do complete it and like it I would want to keep my figures so I could work on Skylander Giants with them. Having a powered up character really should give you a advancing start.

There you go then, those are some of the possible games I have to work on right now. Of course I got a ton from PlayStation Plus that I want to play which would help with me cleaning up my hard drive on my PS3 since it's currently full right now. Also lets not forget I have a ton of games that I want to play and keep afterwards, way too much to choose from. I will do another update in a day or two once I've picked what games I will be playing. 

One last thing I want to talk about before I do go though folks and that is the Next-Generation HUB for my blog, plus the Upcoming Games Hub as well. I'm looking into doing something different with them so if you wondering why they not being updated as I put my blog posts that is why, I will be doing a blog post about the changes in the next few days once I've finalised what I want from them. Now on that note I'm going to go and play some games, earn a few trophies/achievements and enjoy the sunny weather.
~Iznic

E3 2013 Ubisoft Conference

Finally doing another E3 post just took me nearly a month to sort it out, this time it's the Ubisoft conference which was great for games but terrible for the script (sorry but the horrible jokes really need to stop). The whole "look I play games too, I'm cool" is just not needed, talk about the new games and stop trying to "connect". Anyway enough with that and lets talk about the games, first here is the conference from Ubisofts Youtube channel just in cased you missed it or if you want to refresh your mind.



Don't forget I'm only going to talk about the games I'm interested in, sorry folks but this blog is about my gaming adventures. Ok first up is the new Splinter Cell Blacklist which is still looking awesome, shame they only showed a few minutes but I think that's because it's out next month so not too long to wait. Hoping the story is going to be pretty sweet and some of the game mechanics better then Conviction (really hoping anyway).

Next game was a surprise for me and that's the Mighty Quest for Epic Loot, looks like it could be a pretty sweet arcade game. So far though I've only heard about it coming to the PC (browser game?), seriously this would be an awesome arcade/PSN title or even a Vita/3DS game. Build up a castle with lots of traps to stop others from stealing your loot while you raiding their castle, who would not want to play it. Plus I love the CGI trailer for it, I do like my comedy films and it was spot on.

Rolling on another small clip for the South Park game which please god release this game, really hope nothing else happens because I really want to play the Stick of Truth. An RPG game based on the South Park TV series, how can this go wrong! the script looks hilarious. I'm just worried with all the delays and Publisher change over that it might not be as good as I hope, really got this game on a pedestal right now. Come on Ubisoft make sure to get it ready for Christmas and make sure it's brilliant.

I have noticed one thing with this conference that a lot of the major stuff I was interested in was only covered for a few minutes. Think it's because most of their games was covered in the main Microsoft/Sony conferences but you would think they would keep something for themselves.

Watch_Dogs and Assassins Creed 4 Black Flag both look impressive, I will cover them more in the other conferences but both games are on my top ten want list right now. Anyway last game of the conference I was interested in was the new announce of Tom Clancy Division. An RPG (well so they say) online shooter, drop in and drop out with your friends as you explore a world falling apart. The gameplay level they showed off looked good but I won't get my hope up too yet, I will wait to see more because all I keep thinking is "End War", good game but not as good as it should had been.

So that's it for me with the Ubisoft conference, was not the best one but it did show off some impressive stuff. They have quite a few games on my want list this year so hopefully they will be great, really looking forward to playing the new Assassin's Creed although I really wish I knew about the story with how its related to the present time.

Also got massive hopes on Watch_Dogs, man that game could be my game of the year for 2013 if it's done right. Anyway I need to go since I need to continue my gaming marathon so have a good night folks.
~Iznic

Where to begin

Morning folks,
Once again it's been a while since I've last updated but I don't need to tell you that I've been busy since you should be use to it by now. Anyway this is just a quick update post with what I've been playing and my plans for the rest of the week.

So to start with lets talk about the amazing The Last of Us which I'm still pretty much at the beginning with. Reason why I'm not playing it right now? well I'm not a fan of horror, it's one of those genres I hate along with sports. Of course the start of the game is heavily based on the mutants in a dark ruin city so you could not get any closer to horror then that. So yeah I've found it very hard to motivate myself to play it but one of my work mates as told me it will get better very soon after where I'm up to. A lot more humans to fight etc. and more like the trailers that was shown off, think over the weekend I will give it another bash. Need to try the multiplayer as well since it's meant to take ages to get the trophies for that part, hoping it will be fun to play.

Since I've not been playing that I have been working my PlayStation 3 harddrive since it's full right now thanks to PlayStation Plus. Deleting games that I would not play and completing ones that I do want to play. Last week I clocked all five episodes of the Back to the Future game, really good story and a short game to be honest. It's a point and click adventures where you solve a few puzzles to have the story progress on. Friend as told me if I play the retail disc version there is a separate trophy list with a platinum for your troubles, so added that to my rental list. Speaking of Platinum trophies I am hoping to get two more tonight, although it's more likely to be one.

My latest rental game is Rise of the Guardians and I've only got two more worlds to clean up then the trophy should be mine, hour or two max I'm thinking. The other trophy is for Ratchet and Clack QForce which I'm still stuck on the last trophy. Basically I've got to boost/walk and hoover so many miles to clock it but there is no way to track the progress so far. Think I need to do 40 more laps boosting then god knows how many jumps hoovering. Soon as I finish Rise of the Guardians I'm just going to go for it and hope it does not take all evening.

That's it for my gaming anyway folks, I have been playing Company of Heroes 2 on the side but not enough to talk about it. My PlayStation as pretty much took over right now as I finish up these games, soon as I complete a few I want to sit down and get some of the game done then. Anyway folks that's it for my plans for now, clock those two games and make some progress on the Last of Us. I will do another update once I made some progress and update you with my next gaming plans. Also I'm hoping this afternoon to get another E3 post sorted before I start my gaming marathon because at this rate they will be up when E3 2014 is starting.

~Iznic

Game of the Year

For a long time now I've been meaning to put this list up, well actually I needed to decided on the order which I'm doing right now as I type this. Basically I wanted a list or chart of the top games far that have come out this year that I have played. My Game of the Year 2013 chart to show off who is top right now plus what games I found outstanding. So without any more delays here is the full list...

Game of the Year 2013 (Work in progress)

1. Tomb Raider

2. Starcraft 2 Heart of the Swarm

3. Bioshock Infinite

4. God of War Ascension

5. Gears of War Judgement

So there you have it folks the list so far and yes I know I've bought more games then that this year, example being Ni No Kuni, The Last of Us etc. but I don't think I should include them until I've played for a good few hours or completed them. For all I know the game could turn out terrible half way through and make me hate it.

Anyway Tomb Raider is my top dog right now and Starcraft 2 Heart of the Swarm was pretty sweet, the other three had some good moments but they was missing something. If Tomb Raider gets knocked down I would still given it a "Outstanding Game" title. 

I will keep updating this list through the year as I play more of the new releases so keep your eyes open for it, cannot wait to see the end of year line up.

~Iznic

Time Flies

The saying time flies when you having fun is very true, plus when you not having fun as well. Hello all and sorry for the delay in posts recently but I've been a little busy. Anyway I thought I would get a quick post in before I need to start rushing around to get ready for work.

So where to begin, well I've bought the Last of Us but really not got that far into it, to be honest I really want to play it but I had a few games I wanted to get sorted before I started to get stuck in with it. For example I had Bioshock Infinite from Lovefilm for the last month (maybe more) and I was about half way through when the Last of Us came out. So over the weekend I spent two evenings playing it and I'm now happy to say it's finished.

Not got the 1,000 gamerscore on it but I can do that another time, right now I just want to finish the stories on most of my games. Anyway Bioshock is a brilliant game! opening is good the middle was a bit dull and could had done with some work but the ending made up for it. It was one of those that left you stunned with the information you just learnt, I won't spoil it but give the game a try.

Anyway so yeah that was one of my games out of the way, the second was Saints Row the Third. It's been on my list to play since the start of the year so I did say to myself that over the summer that I would work on it since there is really nothing coming out. Well Sony decided to throw the game into the PlayStation Plus free games for next month, kicking myself for buying it now. But the version I did pick up was the complete package with all the DLC, so I decided to get all the DLC done before I traded it in (I can complete the main game another day now). That was done on Sunday so I'm doing pretty well with my goals, the last one I've got now is to get the last trophy in Ratchet and Clank QForce which is a proper grind.

I will be working on that on the side while I'm playing The Last of Us this week. Finally going to give it the time it deserves now but the only problem is that Company of Heroes 2 is launching today, doh!. Going to have to split my time for both games since there is no way I can let that sit there on my shelf waiting for a week or two.

On that note I need to go and sort myself out ready for work, it was good catching up with you folks and I promise to try and get another post in the next day or two. Really could do with finishing off the E3 posts lol.
~Iznic

P.S. Really should not have made that promise since I've got two great games to play which no doubt will keep me busy

E3 2013 EA Conference

Morning gamers,
I've been struggling since E3 on how to write this post out, at first I had posts for each conference but I kept getting a writers block right at the start. In the end I decided to go with this and just write my thoughts plus dropping the twitter messages During the live streams I was posting my thoughts on Twitter, it was interesting to do but somethings I wished I could had change. Also it's a nightmare to copy and paste them over to the blog since everything has to be changed to work (font, text size etc.), plus after changing everything the blog post just went weird. Too much time waisted and it was just not worth it, you can see my thoughts anyway on my twitter account which is linked on the side.

Anyway let's jump straight in with the first conference which was the best one in my books and that's EA. Why did I like this one the most? well I found I enjoyed all the games shown, it had some nice surprises and overall I did not have to keep cringing at the presenters script speeches.



So where to begin, well the Garden Warfare at the start was a nice shock. At first I really thought I would hate it when they started talking about it but once they started playing it, well it went on my list to buy when it comes out. I can see it being quite a laugh with a few friends and I really do enjoy Plants vs Zombies. Of course right now it is exclusive to Xbox One and PC which was interesting move on EA's part. Especially with the next game Titan Fall that was shown off again, another Xbox One exclusive. Seems EA are really backing up the Microsoft team this generation. Anyway Titan Fall looks amazing, multiplayer battlefield/future sci-fi with mechs.

I love the fact the mechs are not slow heavy machines, it will definitely make the game more interesting. Few things in the demo they showed off that got my interest the most was when the pilot jumped into the mech and it took seconds to boot up. Nice fast paced jump in and jump out which will work well for the multiplayer, also loved when they rip out a pilot from another mech. Brutal finisher move plus when they jump out their mech and climb on top of another one to blow the circuits in the head to blind them. Shame it's next year though but hopefully not to long into the year, but I would like to see more how the story campaign works since it seems to be integrated into the multiplayer.

Ok onto the next game which wasn't really shown but my god did it cause a riot on the Internet. A small teaser to the next Battlefront game! which will be using the Frost Engine 3 and being developed by the DICE team. Mind was blown when they showed this off and my twitter feed could not keep up with my friends. Really cannot wait to see what they will do with this game but I won't get my hopes up yet, no doubt it be the end of next year at the earliest if we lucky.

Let's see what was next announced, I'm currently watching the stream again while I'm posting so I can remember everything I wanted to talk about. Ohh yeah Dragon Age 3 which I would like to see more and in fact I really could do with playing and completing the first two before buying this. It looked good, it has everything I want from a fantasy game. Dragons, monsters, end of the world but I could not help but chuckle at the green meteors since they remind me of Warcraft 3. But anyway yeah it could be a great game but a lot more needs to be shown off first and as I said I need to play the first two before I start to get excited.

Final game for EA which stole the show for me was Battlefield 4, how amazing was that? 64 player multiplayer now for the next generation consoles. Having that demo level being shown off with the full 64 players playing was such a smart move. I know everyone was shocked on what they saw and it amazing, I loved watching them drop the road with the tank on into the tunnel. The skyscraper at the end was another amazing touch, in fact I watched a new video yesterday that explains when the skyscraper falls it creates rubble every where so it changes the landscape of the level. You now have more cover but at the same time it creates this giant dust cloud so vision becomes impossible in the area it was.

Also the commander option with the tablet was pretty sweet, I loved the missile launch system but I do question how many people will use it. I know it seems to be the big thing this generation to have phone and tablet support but still not so sure on it, but I've not had ago so it could be amazing for all I know.

Anyway folks that is my thoughts on the EA conference, as I said I was really impressed with it and the games. My want list has grown a little thanks to them and I really cannot wait to get my hands on these games, only a few months for some. Don't forget to drop a line with what you thought of this conference, I would love to hear your opinion on what you saw.
 ~Iznic 

One More Special Edition Mii

That's right folks another special edition Mii is up for downloading on your 3DS, this time it's Hayashida and again just pop on over to the Mii Plaza. This should be the last one since E3 is ending today but you never know.

If you not downloaded any before today then it is worth it, make sure you connected to the wi-fi and pop over to Mii Plaza on your 3DS. The special edition Mii will unlock an achievement if you not met one before, in Puzzle swap they will have all the pieces so it's a great way to get those missing rare ones. Finally they also automatically level 5 in StreetPass quest so you have a nice warrior to progress with.

Anyway I'm off again to go play some games and watch the Simpson's, don't worry I've not forgotten the E3 posts just having a bit of writers block with them.
~Iznic

Another Special Mii

Very quick note folks but you can get another special edition Mii character on the 3DS through spotpass. Just like yesterday this could be a one day only deal so just connect to the Internet with your 3DS and pop on over to the Mii Plaza to get a visit from Konno.

Great thing about the special edition Mii's is they have all the puzzle pieces unlocked for Puzzle swap, great way to get your missing rare ones. Plus they also automatically level 5 for StreetPass Quest so a nice advantage there.

So don't miss out and got to say cheers to Dragaknight my mate for making me aware both times of this.
~Iznic

The Day After

Morning gamers,
Well all the main companies have now done their conferences and all that's left now is the show floor information to come. It's been one hell of a E3 this year and I got to say I've been really impressed with all the games this year, I was really shocked how much there is I want this year. Of course it was just games though was it, we had the next generation consoles being fully revealed and now the dust is settled I think its time to start catching up with my blog posts and talk about what I thought.

To start with Sony have won this war with out a doubt, undercutting the Xbox One price by £80 and announcing there won't be any DRM or blocks on Pre-owned was a killing blow. Yes I have read yesterdays comment and saw people was annoyed that publishers can do one time use serial keys but that's already in place with the PlayStation 3. Sony was just confirming that they are keeping the PlayStation 3 policy, chill people.

Anyway for the best show I'm going to go with EA believe it or not, they really surprised me with the amount of games they showed off. Not just the amount though but how impressive they was as well, the 64 player match for Battlefield 4 being shown off was brilliant. Also Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare then the teaser for Battlefront, think they killed the internet when they showed that off.

So yeah it has been great E3 this year and thanks to it I've decided I'm getting a PlayStation 4 first, I do want a Xbox One since they have some nice exclusive games like Ryse, Titanfall, PVZ Garden Warfare, Halo 5 and Project Spark to name a few. If I could buy both at launch I will but the PlayStation 4 is the first thing I'm buying, the console looks better, cheaper, no restrictions and the share stuff looks amazing. Plus they too have some nice exclusives, e.g. Killzone, The Order 1886, Witness, Knack etc.

Think I need to put a list together of all the games I want and start working out a savings plan because it's going to be a expensive year that's for sure. It's a great time to be a gamer right now though, anyway I'm going to shoot so I can start getting the E3 conference posts up.

By the way before I do run off I do have to say this year had way too many techincal problems, games crashing, bad feeds etc. quite a lot to be normal plus for god sake stop with the terrible scripts. Watching people playing the demos on stage and do the robot talk is annoying "this is fun" "lets go this way" "hi friend, you come to join me on adventure". Stop it! it's annoying!

~Iznic

P.S. Your thoughts on E3 this year? Loved it? Hated it?

E3 Downloads and Freebies

Right folks not sure how long these will be up for so make sure to download them today while you have the chance. First up on the 3DS you can get a special Mii character through spot pass, make sure you connected to your wi-fi and load up StreetPass Mii Plaza. Might have to leave your 3DS on for a while to pick up the spotpass first though. Anyway you get Iwata dressed up in a Luigi outfit for your trouble and of course if you not had a special Mii you will unlock the achievement as well, added bonus is that he has all the puzzle pieces so if you missing a super rare one here is your chance.

Now for a freebie, you can get Fable 3 on Xbox Live for free right now! not sure if this is a mistake or not but just search it on xbox live. There are cases that you have to click "add points" option to get it to appear up as a free purchase download. Great game just a shame the ending was not up to par with the rest of the game but still worth a download, cannot complain about it being free.

~Iznic

E3 My Hopes and Dreams

I've been thinking for the last week what I would like to see from E3 this year and to be honest I struggled to make a huge list, I think it's because both Microsoft and Sony have already announced their next consoles. Several big games have already been announced as well so I'm not expecting too much this year. But I still have a few things I want to see and hoping for so let's get stuck in.

Nintendo
Lets start with the 3DS since that is the easiest one, I've already got three games coming out this year I want. Pokemon X & Y, Professor Layton and of course Phoenix Wright 5 so I'm pretty sorted for the year for my DS. I would love to see the announcement for the crossover of Phoenix Wright and Professor Layton coming to the west, that would make my week. Other then that I'm not expecting anything, although it would be cool to see a nice limited Pokemon 3DS for the launch of X and Y.

Onto the main console for Nintendo and I'm still not got it yet, the Wii U. Really not tempted for it yet since there is only one game I would play right now and that's the new Monster Hunter. Yes Lego City does look awesome but for some reason I'm not that sold on it, think I prefer it when they based on a movie series. Anyway if they announced a full Pokemon game or MMO for the Wii U then I would go out and buy a Wii U for it, it would be some awesome and on so many levels. Better stop there before I start getting hyper and excited, we will be here for hours talking about all the ideas they could do. So yeah the Wii U needs a lot more games that I like for it, in fact it just needs more games in general.

Microsoft & Sony - Next Generation
I've put both together because what I want is the same, basically I want to see some amazing games and plenty of exclusives. A good launch line up and I want to see the consoles running, none of this "later" nonsense. At the end of the day I want to know how I navigate through my console, can I run pre-owned etc. Details will be the big thing to persuade me to upgrade to the next generation and of course games.

At the end of the day if both are coming out at the same time or close enough then only one can be bought for the time being. I'm hoping to walk away from this E3 with one winner, I probably will get the other next year when it's calmed down and I can save some money (unless the other console is terrible of course).

In fact Sony are winning right now in my books but I've not written out Microsoft just yet, plus since I've not seen the console or seen it running properly I'm still 100% committed yet. If they announced Uncharted 4 tonight then I will be throwing my wallet at them.

Sony - Vita
More games please! lots of games would be nice since it's been too quiet recently. Yes I know there is Killzone coming out but I would like to see more then that. It's great that it can hook up with the PS4 and stream some games but I actually want some Vita games.


That's it folks on my thoughts and to be honest I just want to some great games announced, both new IP and sequels. Really excited right now to see what everyone has up their sleeves and it's just over two hours to go. I'm like a kid at Christmas right now, don't think I can get any more hyper.
~Iznic

Pre-E3 Konami Conference

Well once again Konami have done a Pre-E3 conference and this year I can actually say there is nothing on it that I want.



Not interested in sports so that ruled out Pro Evo 14 straight away, few talks of mobile games that did not interest me. Then of course we have Metal Gear Solid 5 which I could never really get into the series so I was really not that interested in the new voice actor for it. Maybe one day I will give it a try but for now there are plenty of other games that are more important to me.

Finally Castlevania 2 trailer which took up most of the conference, looks nice and to be honest would normally be up my street but I played the first one. It was terrible and I hated the controls with a passion, thank god it only cost me something like £1-5. CG trailers always make games look amazing but yeah I'm sticking away from it.

So overall to me the conference had nothing of interest, only reason I'm posting it up is so you my readers can check it out because there might be something on there you like. Guess it's a good thing that there was nothing I like since my want list is huge right now and it will only get worse once E3 is over.
~Iznic

One day to go!

Morning folks,
Cannot believe how behind I am with my blog posts this week, I've had a brilliant week off from work though. Honestly not sure where to begin since there is quite a few posts I wanted to do this week and most of them I wanted done before E3 which starts tomorrow.

So lets begin with what I've been playing this week, well I've had a little time on Warcraft, Star Wars Old Republic and Starcraft but nothing major to report there though. Although I will say that I did start a new character on Star Wars and made a Jedi this time around, I'm actually enjoying it more then my Bounty Hunter. Might actually get into more but we will see, depends if I can put the time into the game.

On the console side I have been working on Lost Planet 2 believe or not, at the start of the week I decided to dig through my pile of games and went with it. It's not a bad game but not great either, the levels are split up into 5-10 minute missions which you get scored on how well you did. Then there are one or two boss missions then it ends the chapter, I enjoy the big boss fights but I am a bit shocked how rubbish the story is so far. Right now though I do want to complete the game because as I said I really enjoy the boss fights, finding the weaknesses and taking it out a step at a time. Even more fun when you using one of the mech suits to take it down with. Can't say I will be stick with it for the full 1,000 gamerscore though since the achievement is insane, talking over a dozen playthroughs for some of the achievements.

I'm also playing Bioshock Infinite finally thanks to Lovefilm, not got that far into it since the disc arrived only a few days ago and I've been busy since then. So far though I'm enjoying the game but I am waiting for it to pick up, going to give it some time later so fingers crossed it will get more interesting later. Other then that I have started Phoenix Wright Trials and Tribulations again since I never finished it, actually I did get to the third episode of the five but then I lost the game so I've had to re buy it a few months back. So far I had only redone the first episode so I'm now working on the second one, think I'm near the end so another session and I should be back where I left off.

Anyway that is it for my gaming news today folks and I will end it here because I want to start writing the other posts for my blog, there are been plenty of more gaming announcements so I want to talk about them and get myself up to date so I'm ready for tomorrow. I will be attempting to live tweet again my thoughts as I watch the conference on my Twitter account then copy and paste onto a blog post after. Hopefully it will go better then the Xbox One conference attempt anyway.
~Iznic

It Begins...

You can tell when E3 is right around the corner because every day leading up to it there are ton of announcements happening. Not many leaks this year though but still early days on that, I'm expecting it to go crazy by the end of the week. Anyway let's get back on topic and talk about the latest new announcements from the last few days.

So where to start, well Plants vs Zombies 2 It's about time has been given a new trailer. What's amazing is that the subtitle was not just a reference about fans waiting for so long, no in fact there will be time travel in this game.



Egypt, Wild West and the Future was mentioned in the trailer and so far there as been a screen shot for Egypt with a mummy style zombie. Love the new pea pod type plant shown half way through the trailer as well, but the biggest announcement was the fact the game will be a free-to-play one. Bit worried about that since I hate micro-transactions with a passion, really hope they don't expect to use to keep forking out for each type of plant or to access most of the levels. Guess we will have to wait and see, next week should clear up most of the details so not point in worrying too much yet.

Speaking of new games we do have details finally on the Halo Spartan Assault game, yes it was not the tv series after all. In fact it's a game for Windows 8 devices, so the phone, surface tablet and operating systems (laptops, PC etc). Bit of a shock there to be honest but I'm guessing they trying to make it worth while picking up a Windows 8 device. Check out the trailer below which was posted up this morning, this time we will be playing as a female spartan set between Halo 3 and 4.



Looks very interesting and there is unlocks and bonuses for Halo 4, the over top play is different but if done right could be great. Check out Xbox360achievements.org post about playing some of the levels, I'm definitely going to give the trial ago if they put one up. Not long to wait for it either since it's slated for a July release which is funny since Plants vs Zombies 2 is as well. Might have a busy summer of handheld device games with the way it's going.

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I did say there was a lot to talk about today and this is just a quick one, a mini teaser video as gone live for Deus EX the Fall. That's pretty much all we know about it, not sure if it's a game or DLC or even worse case scenario a book. A voice asks if we ready to begin then a date of tomorrow is shown (5th June 2013) so hopefully it will be cleared up tomorrow. I loved the Deus EX game and I would love to see a sequel some time this year or even a next generation game. In fact I really could do with playing through it again since I never did go through the DLC levels.



Anyway no doubt I will be posting tomorrow with whatever the announcement is, praying for a game and when I say a game I mean a proper console one not a handheld or mobile device one. Finally one more piece of information to talk about and then you can stop reading my ramblings.

Fable One HD as been confirmed today....no joke, I could not stop laughing this morning when I saw the news. After posting up that E3 list and talking about Fable 4 possibility I was thinking about that I've never had chance to play the very first one. Then within minutes of me thinking that the trailer goes up saying it's coming in HD format for the Xbox 360.



Love the hidethechickens hashtag at the end, my friends would always speak of kicking chickens when they talk about this game. So looks like I will be able to finally play the first one after all so I cannot wait to give it a try, wish they would stop with all the new releases though. This year is getting really expensive and we not even at E3 yet, god help me next week.

On this note folks I'm going to head off and play some games, have a good one and I will talk to you all later.
~Iznic