LoL Champion Spotlight: Miss Fortune

In lieu of a review this week, I'll be shining my spotlight on Miss Fortune (because next week is Christmas, so everything is mental atm).

Miss Fortune has always appealed to me, as she's a red-haired Pirate hunter (who goes after Gangplank and has character-specific taunts if the two are on opposite teams) and her Ultimate ability is the coolest thing ever!

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (3DS)

I've been a fan of Zelda games since I can remember. Sitting there and solving the puzzles, as well as always being the good guy, has always been something that appeals to me. To top it off, this version of Ocarina of Time is extremely beautiful and has easily had days of my time devoted to it.

Bravely Default (3DS)

This is an awesome little game, brought to us by none other than Square Enix and Silicon Studio. The movement within towns is very much reminiscent of Ni No Kuni's world map, and the graphics also remind me of that awesome JRPG.

Rhythm Thief & the Emperor’s Treasure

This is one of those games that is really hard to get hold of, and with good reason- it's a truly brilliant game!

Rhythm Thief is, obviously, a rhythm game- but it's a rhythm game with a difference! You don't just sit there and do the same thing over and over again- this is a rhythm gain containing a multitude of puzzles and different game mechanics that make it a truly wonderful game to play- after all, not every person who plays rhythm games is good at the same type of rhythm puzzle.

Board Game Review: Tsuro

My little sister recently turned 7, and I decided that rather than buying her yet another video game or Princess/Fairy toy that she's bound to grow out of, I'd get her a board game.

I spent about half an hour dithering in the game store I frequent (Wargames Workshop, if you want to know) until I had 2 games to choose from- either Dobble (a matching game) or Tsuro. Reminding myself that Dobble was a) paper, which means my younger brother could destroy it easily and b) basically snap, I went for Tsuro- a truly unique game.

To be released: Pac Man and the Ghostly Adventures

Release date: 14th March 2014

The last 3d Pac Man game I played was the N64 game (which I cannot remember the name of). It was quite a good game, but the only thing that separated it from its 2d counterparts was the level design. Pac Man and the Ghostly adventures is, in my opinion, brilliant.

To be released: Super Mario 3d world

Release date: 29 Nov 2013 (Europe)

I got the chance to play this game at MCM London Comic Con this October, and it was a brilliant experience.

Super Mario 3d World brings the free-roaming aspect to the Super Mario franchise in a glorious way. Not only does it have one of the best multiplayers I've seen in a Nintendo first-party game for a while, Peach is actually a playable character. Oh, and there are cat suits too!

Board game review: Escape (the curse of the temple)

This game is a fun, fast-paced dice roller that tests both teamwork and your own ability. It's an "escape the room" style game where either everyone wins, or everyone loses.

Yes, the front of the box does make it look like a board game version of the popular iOS game Temple Run, but in reality it's anything but!

Pokemon X

A new generation of Pokemon has been released. You may yawn, or laugh at the idea of an actual adult playing a "kids game", but this is not just another 'plonk some odd designs in and add some evil guys' Pokemon game. This game has something that some of its predecessors seemed to lack- heart.

Why I can no longer play The Sims.

Once upon a time, there was a young child who was watching her dad's girlfriend play a strange game whilst also watching a history documentary. Entranced, that young child asked to play on the game.

It was a life simulation game, The Sims. It whisked the young girl off to a world she and she alone could control. If she really wanted to, she could kill the people in her game as easily as flies- but she chose to nurture them; she chose to send them to University, get them pets, allow them to have children and, when those children grew up, she did the same. But now that girl has grown up, and she can't play the Sims 3.

An expansion too far.

Assassin's Creed II (PS3)

This game is a definite improvement on its predecessor. The controls are obviously a lot more refined and the new missions etc are an interesting part of the game.

Ezio is, honestly, so much better at being an Assassin than Altair was- which is odd, because Altair had been trained in Assassination, jumping and the other ways of the Assassin whereas Ezio was just pro at climbing buildings (one of many hobbies he enjoyed in his hometown).

Board Game Review: Love Letter

Do you like board games yet find that there just isn't the time to sit and play one in your lunch break? If so, then Love Letter may be just the game you are looking for!

Players fight for the affection of the beautiful Princess.

                                                    

Assassin's Creed (PS3)

I bought this a couple of months ago, as my University course ended, in the hope of playing it in the summer holidays. However, it was not until recently that I actually got around to playing it.

The world

This game is based in the Middle East, in the Crusader Period and you are an Assassin. The game's quests are quite simple- usually culminating in you killing one of the Templars. The simplicity of these quests doesn't annoy me, as there is plenty to do in Assassin's Creed- such as helping civilians, flag fetching (I'm deadly serious) and killing guards for the hell of it.

Persona 3

I've never played a game from the Shin Megami Tensei series of RPGs, so when I was invited to play this by a friend I didn't know what to expect.

Persona 3 is a very interesting game, with many different elements that affect how the game plays. The moon, your friendships with people and even playing arcade games can have an affect on your stats in game!

Image credit: http://www.technobuffalo.com/2013/05/20/shin-megami-tensei-persona-3-fes-just-5-on-psn-this-week/

Blood Bowl: Legendary Edition

Unusually for me, I found this game quite tricky to play. Yes, the mechanics are all sound, but the tutorial isn't the best and it wasn't until a friend and I played it together that I properly understood how the heck this game works. He recommends that anyone thinking of playing Blood Bowl watches TotalBiscuit's playthrough to get a grip on the game.

Dungeonland

This is one of many games that I've wanted to play because I watched someone online playing it- in this case, it was TotalBiscuit's playthrough of Dungeonland that made me NEED this game. And why wouldn't I?

The idea of being a Dungeon Master has always appealed to me, but I couldn't be bothered with all the intricate plot lines and different endings that can come with a self-written campaign- even if your campaign starts in a dungeon there are multiple paths your players might take. In Dungeonland, your players choose their class, weapon/spells and buffs, then they're dropped into a dungeon for you to torture.

Board Game Review: Ladies & Gentlemen.

This is an interesting little game for 4-10 players. It has many different aspects which work well together, without making the game feel like there's too much going on.

It's a nice game- both for people who play board games on a regular basis and those that shy away from the idea of board gaming. It may seem dull, but when you have a grown man begging his "husband" to buy him a pretty dress, new levels of comedy ensue.

Wanderlust: Rebirth

I stumbled across this game recently, and I've thoroughly enjoyed it! This is a top-down RPG where you can be either male or female and have four classes to choose from. My favourite class is the mage class, because I just like setting things on fire or freezing them (what can I say, it's an advantage if your enemy can't move!)

Virtue's Last Reward

This game, available on both the 3ds and the PS vita seems like it's going to be an interesting little time-drainer. It has an engrossing story and interesting characters and seems to be marketing itself very much towards the "Otaku" market, with an introduction almost the same length as a standard episode of Anime.

Wolf Quest

This is a free-to play RPG where you play as a wolf. You are either male or female (your choice) and your quest is to find a mate and raise a family. Along the path to happiness lay many different problems you must overcome- from Coyotes to Bears, you have to fight to survive in this harsh life.

Papers Please

This dystopian game is an interesting little thing with an ever-evolving play mechanism to boot. It may not win any awards for game of the year, but it sure is addictive

RollerCoaster Tycoon

The original RollerCoaster Tycoon is definitely my favourite of the series. Yes, RCT2 and 3 added something to the game, but I feel that they didn't add enough to actually make them good sequels- they seemed more like expansion packs.

LoL champion spotlight: Ahri

A while back, I decided to try and play mid lane champions in LoL. I didn't really get on with any, but then Ahri was on a free week and I had to try playing her. Some of my friends who are more experienced LoL players advised me against playing her as she's terribly hard to get a hang of, but once you learn her abilities she's a tough cookie to beat.

Don't Starve

I've been wanting to get my hands on this game since it was in Beta, but I just don't have money... ever. So it was a nice surprise when, as part of a birthday present, a friend bought this for me.

Board Game week day seven: Castle Panic

And for the final game of Board Game week, we have Castle Panic. This is a fast-paced tower defence game which can even be played alone!

Board Game week day six (2 of 2): Hotel

This is a game I remember from my childhood as being one of the very few games I'd nearly always win against my siblings. It's a game from the 1980s that has several aspects which anyone who has played Monopoly will find rather familiar.

Board game week day six (1 of 2): Cthulu dice

A game of insanity, Cthulu and awesomeness- this is a fast-paced game which you can play again and again.

Board game week day five: Battlestar Galactica the board game.

So, for a change, I legitimately haven't seen Wil Wheaton play this board game. A friend's birthday was recently and this was his present, which we rather dumbly decided to play at about 10pm.

Board game week day four: King of Tokyo

Yes, another game from the wonderful Wil Wheaton's Tabletop! This time, however, I played it with one friend and a couple of random dudes whilst I was at London's MCM Expo (or Comic Con, whatever you want to call it).

Board game week day three: Ticket to Ride Europe

What d'you mean I get far too much inspiration from Tabletop??? It's not my fault, my local board game shop plasters advertisements for that webshow on every board game they're selling that has been featured on Tabletop! However, I decided that the Europe version of Ticket to Ride, being cheaper and having slightly fairer rules than the original game, was the one I wanted to spend my hard earned cash on.

Board game week day two: Star Fluxx

This is yet another game I found through Tabletop (all praise Wil Wheaton), though it is a much more recent acquisition than Settlers of Catan.

Board game week day one: Settlers of Catan

This is one of many board games I've found thanks to Tabletop. It looked like it would be quite a fun board game, even for one of my friends who is rather selective about the board games she plays. Once we'd pulled the various parts of the board from their outers, we set up the game. Several hours later, we'd played 3 games and were still going!

Beginning of boardgame review week!

This week is special because my birthday is in it, therefore I have decided to do a week's worth of reviews about board games I've been playing.

The reviews begin tomorrow, with a review of Settlers of Catan. Each day there will be at least one review of a board game I've played.

Enjoy the reviews!

MmRed

Sid Meier's railroads

I am a massive train geek, so when I saw this game in PC World a few years back, I just had to have it.

It's like setting up a model railroad in your own house, but without the hassle of hammering and decorating it all by yourself. However, as this is a Sid Meier game, there are set boundaries as to what you can and cannot do. The game usually has to be played with one of the many scenarios, meaning that there are set goals to reach. You can, however, make custom maps that can be shared- a touch that came in with patch 1.1.

Top 5 games I'm looking forward to this year.

5: Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

This is a pirate game. A pirate game. I need this game to make up for all the wrongs of the games belonging to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. But I'm a little wary of it, as I have a feeling it may not live up to the hype. It's a game I want now but also a game I'm terrified will be a waste of money. Especially after the terrible happenings to the game demo at E3.

4: The Wonderful 101

If this game finally gets its release this year, I'll be a very happy bunny- a happy bunny who will be rushing to the shops (or y'know, Amazon -other online stores are available) to buy a WiiU. That's how much I want this game. It looks like a much more awesome version of Pikmin!

3: The Legend of Zelda: a Link between worlds

This game is the spiritual sequel to A Link to the past, hence the name, and it looks like it's gonna be one of the best 3ds games to come out this year. Part of me wishes it was a WiiU title, as this game would be the perfect excuse to finally get my hands on Nintendo's newest console. I hope the game is as good as it looks so far when it's complete.

2: Kingdom Hearts III

Now, this is only based on IGN listing this game under its 2013 releases and I seriously doubt it'll be released this year (unless it's a PS4 launch title in which case I need to save a lot of money) but I want this game. So much. Though to be honest, Dream Drop Distance (which I keep putting off playing) has kinda put me off the series a little, otherwise this would be number one!

1: Tales of Xillia

Having been released in Japan nearly two years ago now, I saw this recently at a convention I attended. The game looks very pretty and I hope it plays as well as it looks. I get that region coding takes a while, but I really do hope this game is as awesome as it sounds. A bonus of this game is that it'll be on the PS3, a console I actually own!

See you next week!

MmRed

Animal Crossing: New Leaf

This game is totally adorable in every way and I just love it!

Having never played previous Animal Crossing games, I was a little apprehensive about playing New Leaf- after all, I'm a twenty-something year old and this is a game that is very much aimed at children. However, I've played it every day since I created my character and I can't see myself stopping anytime soon.

PS4 vs Xbox One

Little Inferno

This is yet another creepy-edged little indie game that is easy to pick up and play, no matter how "hardcore" or not you are with regards to gaming. The game has a nicely creepy theme song and an art style to match and the achievements are relatively simple to work out.

Game Dev Tycoon

A lot of people I follow online have been playing Game Dev Tycoon recently and it looked like a fun little game to play, so I downloaded the demo. After quickly reaching sales of over a million in the demo, I felt like I needed to buy the game (it's like £6, you can get it here, though I advise you to play the demo first) as I needed that little bit extra!

Now, you can get a pirated version of the game for free online- GreenHeart Games released it themselves, but the game will force you to lose through piracy, which is probably why this game has sparked so many people's interest.

Gameplay

Much like any other simulation game, you start off as a low-level player who has to make their way into the big league- you're making games out of your garage! Slowly but surely, you gain money from your games and also unlock other things such as the ability to create a game engine and to work for companies on a contract for a specific amount of money, which is handy if you're either running a bit low on cash or you're one research point away from the thing you really want to research. 

Technology and design

There are two main aspects of every game, technology and design. Some game types should be more heavily technologically focussed whereas others need to focus on design- the game only really hints at this at the review stage, unless you've done it really well.

The difficulty curve

This game starts off relatively easy, but as you gain popularity and money it becomes slightly harder. My advice is to stick to small games for as long as you can afford to and only make medium games for publishers (if you play the game and get your own office, you'll know what I mean).

The overall experience

Now, this game does have some flaws- for example, the majority of game developing relies on trial and error and the reviews you get shed very little light upon the problems your game actually has to bring it from a 10 score to a 5. However, I quite enjoy experimenting with all of the different combinations available to you so feel it was worth the £6 I spent on it.

MmRed

LIMBO

This title is a dark little platformer which incorporates puzzle solving to allow you to get through the game. You will die A LOT if you play this game, but each death either helps you work out a puzzle or makes it worth it when you don't die by falling off that rock for the nth time.

Yogventures (Alpha)

This game has been created by a games developer called Winterkewl, alongside the Yogscast. It's a fun little open-world game, but as with many Alpha builds it still has a ton of bugs.

Evoland Classic

Created for Ludum Dare 24, Evoland classic became instantly popular and won the competition. There's also a non-free version, but I'm a wee bit poor at the moment so I'll review the free one which can be played here.

Fable

I'll admit that this is a pretty old title, but I've never owned an Xbox, so for me this game was never one I could play. Pretty recently though, a friend and I decided to give it a couple of plays.

Dwarf Fortress

When I first opened this game, my brain exploded a little at the sheer amount of ASCII. Now, I can cope with ASCII in small amounts but this game is MADE of it. Then I downloaded the LazyNewbPack and life became a lot more coherent again.

Defender of Texel (D.O.T) first thoughts

D.O.T is an interesting little game I found on the google play store. It's an RPG that needs a constant internet connection, but it's probably the most fun mobile game I've come across so far.

Justin Smith's Realistic Summer Sports Simulator

This is a fun little free to play game that I found here. It's entirely mouse based and can be a little tricky. It's basically an olympic game, with events such as the Javelin and Hammer throw.

Minecraft Pocket Edition (Demo)

Looking around the Android store (or google play as it titles itself) I noticed the Minecraft Pocket Edition demo sitting in the 'top free' section of the games bit. I decided that I'd download it, knowing nothing of its bad reputation.

LoL champion spotlight: Gangplank

Now, Gangplank is a champion I've been wanting to play for a little while. He's a pirate, which is something I'm quite the fan of if I'm honest. The problem was, until recently, he was quite an expensive champion.

Guest review: Star Wars the Old Republic

I've wanted to play this game for a while, but I just haven't had the time. So here, with his permission, is Matthew V's review of SWTOR. Matthew is a reviewer for the Gaming Rig, who post pretty awesome reviews :3.

Prison Architect

Having seen many people play this game on YouTube, I thought I'd give it a play myself.

Pirates of the Caribbean 1- The Curse of the Black Pearl

Recently, I had a discussion with a friend about Pirates of the Caribbean and how he used it in teaching Geography (yes, really) and then by some strange coincidence it was playing on BBC so I decided to watch it again.

Monopoly: Star Wars (collector's edition)

I'm an avid fan of the Monopoly games, but they always seem to do special editions wrong. An example of this is the James Bond Monopoly, where the places are named after the films... seriously?!? You couldn't possibly have come up with any place names from James Bond? Why am I putting a house on Goldfinger? It just seems wrong! Star Wars: Monopoly, however, restored some of my faith in the franchise.

Saint's Row the Third

I've never played any other Saint's Row game, but the idea of a sandbox driving game was offered to me and I decided to check this one out.