Shutting down

Sad news!  I am shutting down this blog as I want to blog about other things.  I have two blogs and neither of them cover everything I want to blog about, and it seemed silly to me to make even more blogs.

My new blogs is here:

http://moosemousse.ml/

And if that doesn't work then this will:

http://moussemoose.wordpress.com/

I hope you like this new blog as much as this one.

[Preview] Battlefield 4

Intro

The Battlefield series has always been about the big battles with large maps and lots of vehicles.  Battlefield 3, where I joined the series, added a single player campaign to the mix but remained true to its roots.  Battlefield 4 is set to do the same, and with the beta I get to sample some of that greatness before its big release.  So how does it compare?

Graphics

Graphically this game is one of the best I've seen yet.  As I am playing on the Xbox 360 I expect that PC players will be having a better looking time than I am.  No doubt that the next gen consoles will look a lot better too, but the game looks so good I'm not really sure I'll notice.  Battlefield 3 was pretty gosh darn beautiful too.  That said, good graphics do not make a game good by default.  A lot of the older games are amazing and they're not good graphically, and text adventures don't have any graphics at all.  I do still enjoy good looking games and this is very good looking indeed, there just needs to be more too it than that.

Multiplayer

Being a 360 player I'm limited to half the number of players that the PC version supports.  The Xbox One will support the full compliment of troops but that's not out yet, so I have to make do.  At the moment though I have yet to find a single full server.  While this is good for jumping straight in it does leave the maps feeling a little empty, especially when they're designed for 64 players and there's only a third that actually playing.  On the upside, this does mean I last a bit longer than normal, even if it's only because I'm not being shot at as much.  When there is fighting though the gun that I'm using feels solid and lethal.  The sights are clear and the hit markers make it easier to see when I've shot someone.  Very useful if you're picking off someone on top of a multi-storey building, and there are a lot of buildings in the demo map.

Talking of maps, I should mention that the demo map is really good.  One thing I loved about Battlefield 4 was that the maps were always well designed.  The whole maps are huge with areas that could be sectioned off for smaller scale modes.  A cluster of buildings might make for great tactical play on a large scale mode but it'd also be great for a small scale mode on its own.  In Battlefield 4 there are a lot of improvements to the game in terms of maps.  The demo map is Shanghai, so there are shops and cars and lifts.  Lifts can be used to get access to the rooftops where troops can provide overwatch, and unwary soldiers can give away their location by walking through a metal detector or setting off a car alarm.  I've yet to see the building fall over though, but I have seen the aftermath.  Defending point B is a very different affair before and after.  With the tower standing it's a very secure location with limited access, but afterwards it's open and very exposed.

I have yet to try driving and piloting but I was never really one for that sort of thing.  The only time I did get into a helicopter was because I spawned onto a squad mate who was already in one.  It landed badly, everyone bailed, and I got stuck.  I did manage to get out of, but only because it exploded and I died.  Looking at the controls I can't actually see anything that says 'exit vehicle'.

General Impression

There's a lot that has changed between Battlefield 3 and 4.  In Battlefield 3 there were a lot of weapons and that's great as it provides a lot of variety.  What wasn't great about that was that there was no way to distinguish between them in terms of performance.  Accuracy, range, and rate of fire, for example, were all hidden with no way to compare between weapons.  This made it hard to choose a weapon that best fits a play style.  Sometimes you just want as many bullets flying through the air as possible and sometimes you just want the one shot kill.  Battlefield 4 now has this, with stats displayed for damage, accuracy, mobility, range, and rate of fire.  This makes choosing a weapon much easier than before.

Level design seems to be greatly improved too, with more verticality than in Battlefield 3.  There were a lot of tall buildings in Battlefield 3 but apart from that it was mostly flat.  Battlefield 4 has lots of routes around the map and they go under and over each other.  Tank on the road?  Blow it up from underneath.  Capture point crowded with enemy?  Sneak above and drop grenades on them.

Gripes

Unfortunately I do have some gripes.  I'm hoping they'll be addressed before it comes out, but we'll have to see.  It might just be that some things haven't been implemented in the demo but will be there in the full game.  I can only hope.

The first is the soldier customisation.  I can't find it anywhere in the game.  The only way I've found to customise loadouts is on the website, which isn't really practical at all.  It doesn't update progress very quickly at all and it still thinks I'm a recruit.  Unlocking new gear is also problematic as the only reliable way to equip it is while playing.

Spawning isn't as easy as it was in Battlefield 3 either.  In Battlefield 3 there was a list of options to choose from.  It was all very straight forward and options only appeared if they were valid.  In Battlefield 4 I'm not sure how you choose where to spawn.  I just move the left stick randomly and hope for the best.  It does have a nice feature though.  When choosing to select a squad mate to spawn on you see a small image of what they're seeing, which gives an idea of what to expect.  Spawning doesn't seem to be all that reliable either.  I've spawned right next to enemy soldiers, and I was once so close I could take his tags without moving.

I can't seem to 'cook' grenades either, and by that I mean holding it for a short time before throwing.  This is something done in real life so it's surprising that it's missing from Battlefield 4.  It doesn't help that grenades have a realistic timer length, so it's often easy for the enemy to get out of the way.

I mentioned problems getting out of the helicopter earlier but I'll mention that here too.  I have no idea how to do it other than die.

Another thing I've notice is that the start of the game can be a bit glitchy.  The right stick doesn't seem to start working straight away so I'm left only able to strafe and walk forwards and backwards, unable to turn.  This doesn't last long and I've not been shot because I can't turn, so far.  What's worse is that the iron sights on the SCAR-H take a while to load some times.  Using the left trigger to aim only works if you can see through the sights, which is hard when it's just a block with no holes.

Overall

Generally speaking this is a very enjoyable beta.  It feels a lot like Battlefield 3 in a good way while improving on it in others.  Those who aren't upgrading to the next gen should feel confident that the core experience on the current gen is still fantastic and that they're not missing out by not upgrading.  I am upgrading so I'll have a review on that as soon as I can.  On the strength of the beta I'm going to highly recommend it.  If you want to experience the beta for yourself, the closed beta is well and truly under way, and the open beta will start on the 4th.  Check out here for more info:

http://battlelog.battlefield.com/bf3/news/view/battlefield-4-beta-rollout-times/

I did have some other issues that weren't mentioned here, but mostly that was down to playing another game with a different control scheme.  In that game the right bumper was sprint and in this one it throws a grenade.

Review: Animal Crossing: New Leaf

Intro

My interest in New Leaf began when a good number of my friends started talking about it on twitter.  I'd heard of Animal Crossing before but never got any of them.  I looked up some videos and saw some trailers, and I took the plunge.  Even then I wasn't sure I'd like it.  You become Mayor of a town by accident and you build your town and house.  When I started playing it, my opinion changed, a lot.

Gameplay

 

Standing in front of the Town Hall with me new flag

The game starts off with a stranger starting to talk to you on a train.  Your answers affect the way you look, and there are various guides to this online.  Most important is that you get to choose from four randomly generated town maps.  You can see them all as many times as you want so you don't have to get to the fourth and think 'well, I liked the first one better' and have to stick with the fourth one.  Once you've chosen your map, you get off the train and become Mayor.

The only problem here is that you can't become Mayor straight away.  You need to be a citizen, which means you need a house.  While these are things you have to do, they are simple and shouldn't take long.  It'll help you get familiar with your town and the various NPCs who live there.

I just built a stone bridge for my town

The game world is a 2D map with 3D graphics and the ground curves dramatically into the background.  There are lots of trees to shake, with some bearing fruit and others hidden objects, sometimes bees.  Bees are bad, very bad.  In all the maps you'll get a river full of fish and a beach where you can collect shells and sea fish.  These will provide an income for your house and the town.

Once you become Mayor, what you do really is up to you.  There are things that you can't do as it's a game with a young audience in mind, so it is a bit restrictive in some ways.  However, there's still a whole lot you can do and listing everything would take too long.  Plus, it's always good to discover things on your own.

One complete dinosaur

You only thing I'll recommend doing is donating to the Museum.  You only need to donate one of everything so it's a good idea to donate the first one you catch so you don't lose track of what you have donated and what you haven't.  I love museums in general but there's something amazing about wandering around the Museum and thinking 'I caught that' or 'that was the first fossil I found'.  There is more to it than just looking at the museum though.  You will often see NPCs in there who will remark upon the items on display.  Additionally, when you complete a dinosaur, the plaque will tell you about it.  Similarly, the signs in the aquarium, insect section, and art gallery, will tell you more about the items on display.

Graphics and Sound

I could not agree more! I am a giant arachnophobe. :(

The graphics are really quite exceptional.  The 3DS has glasses free 3D which might sound like a gimmick but it's very impressive.  I'm quite a big fan of 3D in games so I have the 3D slider turned on full.  You don't lose anything by having it in 2D, though I do prefer it in 3D.  Can't put my finger on why.

Audio is very good too, with small sounds being distinct and clear.  You'll always know when a mosquito is nearby, for example.  The music is pleasant to listen to and never gets boring.  It also seems to be situational too, so it's not the same all over the town.  It's turned off while you're in your house, which is good as you can have TVs, stereos, and musical instruments.  Having background music while you're playing a guitar would be too much, and I like the quiet that the house offers.

Other Features

My Scott Pilgrim inspired t-shirt

As with everything, it's the little things that make the biggest difference.  Being able to design your own patterns is a great way to pass the time, and you can end up with some great looking designs.  These patterns can be worn on clothes or put on the wall or floor of your house.  It's great because it's so easy to use.

And now you've got some great designs, you feel like sharing them with the world.  They've thought of that and added a super easy screenshot feature.  Pressing the two bumper buttons with take a screenshot and save it to the memory stick.  These can then be uploaded to twitter, facebook, and tumblr, using the i.nentendo.net website.  In fact, all the pictures in this review were taken by me.

Overall

Having my fortune read. Why can't it be like this in real life?

I don't think there's any other game that I love in quite the same way.  There is The Sims which is similar in many ways, but with The Sims you don't directly control the Sim.  It's more watching the Sim do things rather than doing them yourself.  I don't know of quite the right words to describe it.  It's certainly very fulfilling and I can't recommend this enough.  If anything, it makes a welcome break from other games that involve violence and fighting.  The only downside is that you really need to experience it to understand why it's so good.  I am sure I will be playing this for many months to come.

The LEGO Movie

I make no secret of the fact that I have loved every single LEGO I've played and that any new LEGO game is a guaranteed preorder for me.  They have all been exceptionally fun.  They're not perfect and I can find flaws with them, but those flaws don't detract from the fun of the games.  Sure, LEGO Harry Potter might have too many variations on single characters, but it's ok.  I don't mind that.

Anyway, I'm not talking about games (directly) today!  Today I am going to drop a trailer for The LEGO Movie!  That's right!  A movie made out of LEGO!  It's going to blend traditional stop motion animation, CGI, and a small bit of live action, in what should be the greatest movie of all time ever bar none.

The trailer:
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/lPnY2NjSjrg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

So yeah, I'm really excited by this and I cannot wait.  There's also going to be a tie-in video game that should be lots of fun too, but let's not get ahead of ourselves here.  The movie isn't out until February 2014, which is a good few months away yet.  Before then is my birthday, and Christmas, and the new generation of consoles, and Bravely Default: Flying Fairy, and Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, and, well, you get the idea.  There's lots of stuff to enjoy in the meantime.

Pre-E3 Comparison: PS4 Vs Xbox One

Intro

When the reveals for the consoles were announced, things started to get exciting for the console market.  We'd all been expecting them for a while and to finally get official confirmation that they were real things was great.  Then we had the reveals and everyone has their own opinions.  These opinions are my own.  I always try to be objective but this time I might not be.  What I am going to say is that these are my thoughts on the two consoles at the time of writing.  I'm going to be focusing mainly on what I care about as a gamer.  I'm only going on official information here, not rumours and speculation.

Let's begin with the hardware.

The Consoles

Looking at the consoles in terms of specifications, there's not much difference.  The specifications are so similar with each having plus points.  Neither console seems inherently better than the other here, and as a retro gamer I know that this isn't all that important either.  A fancy bit of kit might look shiny but great graphics don't make a great game.  The only new feature is in the PS4, which has a small bit of extra hardware so that it can download stuff in the background.  Unfortunately for Sony, the Xbox 360 has been doing this since launch and it's been doing it with software.  As I see it, there's really nothing in it here.

No one knows what the PS4 looks like as they didn't show it off.  The X1 has been getting a lot of criticism though, both for how it looks and the name.  I find both of these arguments to be trivial and almost moot.  Yes, the name might be silly, but as they say 'a rose by any other name'.  As for looks, well, I might have gotten the Halo 4 Xbox 360 because it looks nice, but it's not the most important feature and it wouldn't stop me buying the console if it didn't look good.  I also don't buy a console so I can gaze at it like it's art.  It sits there and gets ignored for the most part.  I happen to like the X1 looks, but I guess that's just preference.

The Controllers

The PS4 controller looks much like the other Playstation controllers, which is fine.  There hasn't been much said about it other than that it has a button to easily share video clips and stream live over the internet.  There's also a touch pad.  I have no idea what it does as they didn't say.  All they really said was 'it has a touch pad'.  It's like the light on the top of the controller.  It changes colour depending what player number you are, though I'm not sure how practical that is seeing as you won't normally see it.  I think that Move might track it but I'm not sure on that either.

The X1 controller looks much like that Xbox 360 controller, which is good.  I find the 360 controller to be comfortable so I'm guessing the X1 controller will be too.  It has an improved battery compartment to make it better for different sized hands and it has feedback in the triggers.  I'd like to know more about the feedback as I dislike rumble feedback, but it's an impressive feature.  The new Kinect sensor can track the controller too.

Optical Sensors

This is where the X1 really gets one over on the PS4, if this is your thing.  The new Kinect sensor has been designed to work in smaller spaces than the old one so more people can use it.  It can now track way more than the old one too.  It can track limb rotation, momentum, heart rate, and the controller.  This has applications in motion controlled games as well as fitness as Kinect can now tell how accurately you hit a target, for example, and how hard you hit.  It can also be used to tell how hard you are working out as well and thus give better feedback about overall fitness.  While I don't think it has been said, it is most like using Eulerian Video Magnification which works on all skin colours and is worth looking at even if it isn't used in the X1.  I don't have any information as to how accurate the voice recognition is, but in the reveal it looked rather good with commands being carried out straight away and with no discernible delay.  While I probably won't make use of the voice recognition, it is good to see it there as it's a useful feature for disabled gamers.  The only downside is that it needs to be plugged in all the time, but it can be turned off when you're not using a Kinect based game.

The PS4 Move controller tracks a light.  It can track the controller because it has a light on it.  The Wii can do that without a visible light.

The Interface

If you like the Xbox 360 dashboard then the X1 dashboard will be ok.  It has the same Windows 8 styling so there's nothing new in terms of looks.  What is note worthy is how quickly and easily it seems to work.  It has various hand gestures and it can do several things at the same time.  I'm not sure I want to talk on skype while I'm watching a film, but if that's your thing then great.  I'm also not into sports or fantasy leagues, but for those that are then you can get live feedback on fantasy leagues while you're watching the game.  This is what has taken most of the stick from others, but to me I thought this was great.  To me, the great thing isn't that it can do live TV or Skype or whatever, it's that it can do it all at the same time and work flawlessly.  It seems to be a great bit of software engineering.

We don't know anything about the PS4 interface as they didn't show it off during the reveal.

Overall

While many people criticised the X1 reveal for being TV focused with not enough games, I thought it was quite exciting.  It showed me the features, how it will work, what it does, how I'll use it, and what it'll be like to use it.  I don't care for the TV features, but it was good to see it in action.  Replace the TV content with something else and it'd still work the same.  As for the lack of games, well, it was a console reveal.  More games would have been nice but I think the star of the show was the X1 so showing it off should have been the focus.  I'm just happy that Forza 5 will be a launch title.

In comparison, the PS4 reveal seemed more like a developer conference.  They spent 20 minutes explaining why the designed the architecture the way they did, and then 20 minutes talking about the streaming technology.  It's not that it isn't interesting, but it wasn't what I wanted to see.  None of that matters to me though.  I just wanted to know what it'd be like to use it and how the features work and how they'll translate into great gaming.

For me, the winner here is the X1, simply because there's so much more information about it that's relevant to gamers.  I can look at the information and be confident that it'll be fun and easy to use.  I just don't know enough about the PS4 to make an informed decision on it yet.

E3 is coming up in a few days, which will be a great opportunity for both Sony and Microsoft.  Sony has got to show the console and software.  They have got to get some more information out there as to how it'll work and what it looks like.  Microsoft on the other have to prove that the X1 is a gaming console.  This means showing off more gameplay videos, revealing at least some of the exclusives, and generally reassuring the games that it's not just a set top box but rather a gaming console with some fancy features.