I got a bit distracted, but I promised that the next post would concern Assassin's Creed and so here it is. There are some things to dislike in it, as can be seen from the various low-scoring reviews, but overall the game does an excellent job of immersing you in a world and then giving you mastery over it. In particular, Altair's animation is superb and climbing in particular feels very realistic. I found myself able to forgive the repetitive objectives because I was just enjoying being in the world. It is definitely a game that does the little things right and with great attention to detail.
The setting, unfamiliar in a videogame context, is a key part of the immersion - the bustling streets of 12th century Damascus, Acre and Jerusalem are far more interesting and vibrant than any number of deserted moon bases and post-apocalyptic wastelands.
Some people have criticised the combat, but I found that as soon as you get the short blade back, things really open up with brutal counterattacks allowing you to finish fights in seconds. I've left the game having completed about a third and will return to it in the New Year.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Monday, November 26, 2007
How ace is XBLA?
On Saturday, I mainly played Xbox Live Arcade games. I knocked
Assault Heroes on the head with Andy, played Carcassone against the AI, finished off the time attack mode in Geon and then, late in the evening, downloaded Word Puzzle and spent far too long playing through the main mode. The last levels are very tricky, especially at 4am when you can barely focus on the screen.
I was struck by how much I've come to take the simplicity and ease of use of the XBLA system for granted. New titles are flagged up for me, I download a trial, and if I like it, a few button presses are all that is needed to debit my stored credit card and unlock the full game. I don't even have to shift on my beanbag. It's a far cry from mailing an order to Special Reserve and then waiting a couple of weeks for the postman to bring your game in a jiffy bag. The sheer ease of buying new games on the service has definitely contributed to my extensive use of it. I've got 30 or so Arcade games and the majority were purchased rather than free with codes. The dip-in, dip-out nature of the games is something I've come to rely on and many evenings I find myself not touching a retail game at all.
That said, Sunday was mainly spent playing Assassin's Creed (aka Jade's Game) - more on that in the next post.
Assault Heroes on the head with Andy, played Carcassone against the AI, finished off the time attack mode in Geon and then, late in the evening, downloaded Word Puzzle and spent far too long playing through the main mode. The last levels are very tricky, especially at 4am when you can barely focus on the screen.
I was struck by how much I've come to take the simplicity and ease of use of the XBLA system for granted. New titles are flagged up for me, I download a trial, and if I like it, a few button presses are all that is needed to debit my stored credit card and unlock the full game. I don't even have to shift on my beanbag. It's a far cry from mailing an order to Special Reserve and then waiting a couple of weeks for the postman to bring your game in a jiffy bag. The sheer ease of buying new games on the service has definitely contributed to my extensive use of it. I've got 30 or so Arcade games and the majority were purchased rather than free with codes. The dip-in, dip-out nature of the games is something I've come to rely on and many evenings I find myself not touching a retail game at all.
That said, Sunday was mainly spent playing Assassin's Creed (aka Jade's Game) - more on that in the next post.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Dormant ****ing blogs
Grr. Denied my favoured address by a blog with one post on it. From 2005. Grrrr.
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