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What Jake Played – Mar 2013
Accept a quest, smack some monsters around, report back. Wash, rinse, repeat.
Ragnarok Odyssey (PS Vita) - I tried the demo to this game a couple of months ago and it peaked my interest enough to warrant a purchase.
Ragnarok Odyssey is a mission based JRPG with MMO elements as you can join forces with players from across the globe to complete missions, advance the story and collect loot and money.
I’ve been enjoying Ragnarok Odyssey so far but it is lacking any real freedom. You can only leave town to go and complete quests, and once you’ve completed the quest you are automatically teleported back to town which doesn’t allow for much exploration. Still, it’s early on in the game so it may open up later on so I will persevere.
I’d recommend waiting for Soul Sacrifice to hit the Vita rather than buy Ragnarok Odyssey but if you can’t wait for it then you could do worse.
The Bears didn’t have enough room for two players nicknamed “The Beast” so Brian Urlacher had to be on his way.
Madden 13 (PS3) - American football is my favourite sport and I always start jonesing for action at this time of the year because of all the NFL draft coverage. Building a great team is my favourite aspect of Madden so I’ve been putting on my coach/GM hat and focusing on the draft.
I’ve created a few of my own guidelines to drafting in Madden 13: I scout every player’s awareness and if it’s B I then take into consideration how needy I am at that position and scout their potential development if it’s a position of need. By following this formula I have built a very strong team purely by the draft and I always come in well below the salary cap. That’s also helped by my draft strategy of always trading down out of the top ten if I have any picks there.
I’m about ten years in and at this point I’ve completely broken my franchise mode game as I have 21 1st round picks through a combination of trading back through previous drafts and trading away players at optimum times. I’ll probably start a connected career as a player next, maybe a MLB or another position I don’t usually play.
The German sense of humour is questionable at best.
Toilet Tycoon (PC) - I bought this for £1.50 thinking that it was probably an April Fool’s Day joke released a day early…but it in fact is a real game. You buy plots of land to build toilet stalls in which you can charge visitors to use your loos and services, all the while competing against rival toilet tycoons. using a variety of dirty tricky such as hiring vandals.
As you may have guessed it’s a bit shit really.
Last Month’s Hangovers
Persona 4 Golden (PS Vita) - Completed the story but didn’t complete 100%. I’ll replay this somewhere down the line to try and get the 100%.
Sleeping Dogs (PS3) - Nearly platinumed, just need another session or two.
Ni No Kuni (PS3) - I haven’t played this too much this month. Not that it’s not a good game, I just haven’t had the time.
When Games Are Just Wrong
Recently, when I’ve been spending my hard earned cash on games, I’ve been agonising over whether I should buy the (usually) cheaper physical versions of the game, or the more convenient, but more expensive, digital counterparts. More often than not, the digital ones have won, and my latest purchase was FIFA 13, which is definitely cheaper as a disc, but this was a purchase of convenience and made me feel like Rockefeller for a day! Firing the game up, I was greeted by screens of new features which I didn’t really watch, then went onto career mode. After a small amount of wheeling and dealing, I found a player, a little old, but free (the price was right. I like a good bargain, a.k.a. I’m a tight-arse!). With the deal completed, I was confronted by this screen:
£0 is too much! I have much to learn!
Now either football pundits are getting less intelligent, or more likely, the game spits out same sort of comments for any player of a certain age, regardless of price paid. Obviously, all games have mistakes that aren’t picked up by developers/Alpha testers/Beta testers, etc, so I’m hoping that some of you good people out there will have noticed some mistakes that you would be willing to share with us. If we get enough responses then I will compile a Top 5 game mistakes, with the top entry being put in the Gamers Corner Hall of Fame.
P.S. If possible include a screenshot of the mistake.
What Jake Played – Feb 2013
Welcome to the start of a monthly feature here on Gamers Corner, What Jake Played. It’s a short recap of the games I played in the previous month and my thoughts on them. A bunch of mini-reviews if you will.
So, without further adieu, lets get started!
To The Moon – The graphics aren’t much but the story and soundtrack are inspired.
To The Moon (PC) - I bought this game from GOG.com a number of months ago when I was on a point n’ click kick. I only got around to playing it last night though while I was backing up my PS3 to an external HD (rendering it out of action for 18 hours!).
To The Moon in an indie game made using the RPG Maker engine, however it’s a true point ‘n click game. You play the part of Dr. Rosalene and Dr. Watts, who have the job of altering the memories of dying people so they can die with no regrets. They do this by jumping through the patient’s memories from their latest memories to their earliest, to alter their childhood desires. In this case the patient’s dying wish is to go to the moon.
However the patient (Johnny) has lived a complicated, and at times mysterious life, and Dr. Rosalene and Dr. Watts find the job much more difficult and normal. Will they get to the bottom of why Johnny wants to go to the moon? Will they be able to fulfil his wish before he dies?
The game is very short, I completed it in about 3 hours, but it was an incredibly rewarding experience. If you enjoy point ‘n clicks or interactive novels then I would definitely recommend this game.
Persona 4 Golden – Marie is a new character waiting for you in the Velvet Room.
You play the part of a boy who was moved to the country to live with his Uncle and cousin for a year and joined a new school. What sounds like quite a dreary setting soon picks up with the introduction of a murder in the sleepy town and the discovery of a shadow world full of monsters that seem to be killing off residents one by one.
Golden has added scenes and various bonuses, but the best thing about it is how it has improved the pacing of the original. You can now skip cutscenes and blocks of dialogue that you don’t want to see and movement feels much more quick and fluid.
If you enjoy RPGs then this is one to get. If you played Persona 4 on the PS2 then this isn’t essential but it is an improvement on the original.
Click Here to Buy Persona 4 Golden
Let’s Fish Hooked On!…My dud of the month
The camera is awful, the fish often miss the lure they’re trying to bite (and it’s clearly a glitch), there’s no free play mode and the tutorial is very basic.
Don’t buy this game unless you love bad fishing games and have money to burn.
Wei Shen – The man with the golden gun.
You play Wei Shen, an undercover cop given the task of taking down the Hong Kong triads. As with most undercover games, Wei finds himself getting sucked in deep and questioning where his loyalties really lie.
There’s triad missions, cop missions, missions where you help out random people, martial arts tournaments. car and bike races, and even some cockfighting. There’s a heck of a lot of things to do in Sleeping Dogs and it’s all well done.
This is the game that GTA IV wishes it was. Lots of action, good fighting mechanics, interesting characters and story, and a vibrant setting. Well worth a buy.
Click Here to Buy Sleeping Dogs
Ni No Kuni
In this JRPG (you may be sensing a theme in the type of games I play) you play the role of Ollie, a young boy who’s mother has recently died. Thanks to some well directed tears he awakens the power of a faerie who tells him of a magical world parallel to his own, how everyone has a double in this world, and how there may be a way to bring his mother back to life. So Ollie goes on a adventure to save the magical world and his mother along with his faerie friend Drippy.
I’m only a few hours into this game, but so far I’m enjoying it a lot. It feels like I’m playing a high quality anime movie and it’s abundantly clear how much love and care was put into making Ni No Kuni. Definitely give it a try!
Something Old and New in Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker Remake?
There are plenty of reasons to have been excited by what was announced at the recent Nintendo Direct conference, particularly for those looking forward to new Wii U games in 2013. However, for some, it will definitely be the news that two Legend of Zelda titles are heading to the console.
How Wind Waker may look on the Wii U.
Of course, it was great to have a little play in that part of the Nintendo universe when Wii U launched alongside Nintendo Land. But let’s face it, weren’t most of us just holding out for the day when we got a brand new Link adventure on the system?
Well, as it turns out, the first of the two games will be a remake of a GameCube classic – but we can comfort ourselves in the fact it won’t just be a direct port for Virtual Console. Here are three things we can expect Nintendo to add to Wind Waker when it’s revealed at E3 later this year.
Sharper Visuals in Awesome HD
One of the best reasons Nintendo has for mining its back catalogue of great adventure games is the opportunity to give them a visual overhaul. As Wii U is a system fully capable of high definition graphics, this makes the idea of a Wind Waker remake a very promising notion. Landscapes, backdrops and cut scenes should look incredible, plus the gameplay should be smoother than ever before.
Keep on Gaming With Off TV Play
Many of us will have experienced what it’s like to have to switch of a game when we’re deep in adventure mode. However, Wii U addresses the issue of invading family members and partners with Off TV Play. Of course, this was great on New Super Mario Bros. U, but when it comes to strategy games like Zelda, avoiding that break in play could be all the more vital.
‘Tuned Up’ Gameplay for a New Generation
As well as Off TV Play and integration with the Miiverse, Nintendo announced it would be making some small changes in the Wind Waker remake that would make it more befitting the Wii U console. Nintendo series director Eiji Aonuma said the team intend to “tune up the overall game experience,” though little is known yet as to what this will involve.
So what do you think? Is Nintendo playing a dangerous game in tinkering with Wind Waker? Or does the opportunity to play the game again on Wii U excite you enough to justify a remake?
A Fresh Way to Play with New Super Mario Bros U
The arrival of Wii U in November was exciting for many reasons. The home console promised a whole new experience in gaming and entertainment thanks to the innovative Wii U GamePad. But there was another reason to get excited – and that was New Super Mario Bros. U.
With a fresh new adventure to embark on, fans of the series had all sorts to look forward to. But now that it’s here, what special features and modes are there that have built on a legacy that began way back in 1983?
Get your hands on Super Mario Bros. U.
New places to explore
Those familiar with the Mushroom Kingdom map of Super Mario World on the Super Nintendo will no doubt feel a pang of nostalgia when they see the World Map that features in New Super Mario Bros. U. You still get the usual side-scrolling platform action across levels, but the game is a lot easier to navigate with this seamless layout. Keep an eye out for secret shortcuts and hidden exits, as well as the strange ‘Nabbit’ creature that will give you the chance to grab special items like the P-Acorn.
New ways to challenge friends
Coins have always been a big part of Super Mario games. But while they’re great for challenging yourself in solo mode, they get even better for multiplayer clashes in New Super Mario Bros U. With Coin Battle Mode, up to four players can race through a level while trying to come out the other end with the biggest haul of gold coins. You can even add the GamePad into the action so someone can add Boost Blocks and create customised courses.
New ways to challenge yourself
As if Coin Battle Mode wasn’t enough, New Super Mario Bros. U offers some great options for solo gaming. If you opt for Challenge Mode, for example, you’ll be challenged with a specific task. This might involve clearing a course with a certain number of coins at the end of it or without touching the ground. There are four individual options like this for solo play – Time Attack, Coin Collection, 1-Up Rally and the miscellaneous ‘Special’ category.
There are loads of things in New Super Mario Bros. U to enjoy. And as far as platform games go it could be a great choice if you want a title that you’ll be playing well into 2013. If you do complete it though, expect more Wii U games in this category next year – including Rayman Legends.
Courtesy of Info Nintendo
