FEATURE: Pretty Bad, But Mildly Fun Games #1: Karate Champ! (NES)

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Developer: SAS Sakata
Publisher: Data East
Genre: Fighting/2-D Fighting
Release: 1986
Console: NES (Also on ARC and C64)
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To begin, I'd like to highlight this game was released in 1986, deeming it one of the first NES games (At least, in the US), so going into this game my expectations weren't high. prettybad

I don't know if there is an actual storyline to this game, especially since I'm playing the game only - I don't have the manual or box to give me any more information, but I presume you're a karate fighter who's trying to be the best by overcoming various opponents to get to the top. I say various opponents, but in reality you fight the same guy simply called "Red" (which is strange because he's very purple in the game) until you reach the 8th Dan, where your opponent finally changes to this God-like fighter - physically he doesn't change but the difficulty in fighting him eventually creeps up to God-like status.

In each fight, you have to "hit" your opponent a total of 6 times to win, or the time can run out and the judge will decide who deserves to win the round - you ("White) or Red. There's this strange guy in the background in every fight that looks like an 8-bit Lionel Richie, I imagine he is your trainer, and it's him you're looking for (sorry, awful joke).

You start the game in the training stages, where the fights are relatively easy to win, I found myself constantly using the most basic attacks to win, but as the training stages finished and I entered the 7th Dan, I quickly found out that I had to actually introduce a tactic to beat the harder stages, so after a bit of practising and learning the controls a bit more, I figured out all the moves or at least I think I did and it was back into the dojo. 

After grasping the controls, the best strategy was to constantly jump over the opponent until you can get in a quick kick whilst they face the other way. Cheap, I know. 

Based on reading that, you might be thinking that this game is relatively good, but don't be fooled - the hit detection is almost completely random, sometimes your punches or kicks will register instantly, whereas other times it seems like the opponent is invisible and all your attacks are going straight through them almost, this might be due to the difficulty increase but it just feels very awkward at times. 

At the end of each fight, there's this very strange mini-game where flowers in vases come from each side of the screen and I still don't know how to win - I've tried punching them, kicking them, jumping over them but no matter what I do, my score stays the exact same. A bit more explanation of how this mini-game worked would have been nice, but maybe it was described in the manual or box, but unfortunately I don't own either. 

Overall, Karate Champ isn't necessarily a bad game, once you learn how the fighting mechanics work it can be a bit fun, but it has some of the worst hit detection I've ever experienced and the gameplay does get old really quick. Feature1

FEATURE: Digital Download of Video-Games

Whether you're a collector or not, it wouldn't be surprising to see games released only digitally in the not so distant future.

As a gamer, you'll probably know that digital gaming is becoming a huge part of the industry, you can pretty much find any game you want via a download whether it be PSN Store, Xbox Live Marketplace, or Steam. You'll be able to find what you want somewhere without having to physically move, except with your hands of course.

Personally, I do prefer having physical copies of a game as I'm a bit of a collector but there's no denying that a lot of money is being made via digital distribution. So, I think it's time I weigh out the pros and cons of digital gaming downloads to come to some sort of conclusion as to whether digital downloads will take over physical copies of video-games.

Pros

• Don't take up any physical space at all 
• The disc will never get scratched or damaged
• You can't 'lose' a digital copy of a game, it's always available to re-download with no extra charge
• Very easy way of obtaining games that are hard to get in their physical form
• It's convenient to simply find a digital download and play there and then
• There will never be a shortage of stock

Cons

• Often the pricing isn't completely accurate (Red Faction Armageddon was £50 on PSN Store)
• Lack of any physical attachments such as the manual or the case (Mainly for collector's, not a huge problem for gamers who just want to play games whether they keep them in their collection or not.)
• As games get bigger in size, the longer the download will take
• You cannot return a digitally downloaded game
• No pre-owned games - it's not possible. A lot of people buy games pre-owned because it can a really cheap way of gaming, this is not possible the digital way.

As you can see, there are a lot of points to both arguments - like I said earlier, I prefer having the physical copy because it's nice to have the game as part of a collection with the artwork and so on but I know a lot of gamers don't care about any of that stuff, they just want the game to play and that's it. Either way, please comment and tell me what you think! Feature1

FEATURE: The Games I'm Currently Playing - Volume 2!

Definitely a varied selection of games this time around, including the classic Wolfenstein 3D and more.

Hexen: Beyond Heretic

System: PC

I have fond memories of this game when I played it on my uncle's PlayStation back in the 90's but never actually played the original PC version so I thought I'd give it a shot since I loved the PlayStation port back in the day

Straight away, I knew this version would be better (in most cases, original games are usually better than the ports, although many people argue PlayStation DOOM is the best but that's another discussion all together).

I am currently only at the start of the second "hub" (or episode) and I have to say, this game is incredibly fun and also very addictive, it's nice to have some puzzle elements thrown into the first-person shooter mechanic. However, from what I've played so far, this is not as good as it's predecessor; Heretic. 

Wolfenstein 3-D

System: PSN (Originally on DOS/PC)

Fun Fact: Wolfenstein 3-D was made by ID, the guys
 responsible for cult classic DOOM

Now, this won't be the best version of Wolfenstein 3-D but for now I've had to settle for the PlayStation Network port, which to be fair isn't all that bad. The controls can be a bit awkward but I adjusted to them pretty easy within the second level or so, at the moment I'm almost at the end of episode 2 and whilst this is no DOOM, you have to give credit to the guys at ID back in the day for this game, for the time this would have been absolutely amazing - the graphics, the sense of '3D', and so on. Really fantastic game so far!

Joe Danger

System: PSN

With only a couple more stages left, I can safely say I have had a lot of fun playing. Joe Danger is one of those games that got under-looked - it's nothing special but at the core it's incredibly fun and it often reminds me of Excitebike on the Nintendo Entertainment System which is always a good thing, right?

I'm having a really hard time getting some the coin stars though....Still, very enjoyable game.

Bayonetta

System: PS3

Fun Fact: Bayonetta 2 will be released exclusively
 on the Nintendo Wii-U

This game has been on my shelf since last December so I just thought 'I should really finish that game sometime' and I'm definitely glad I picked it up - currently on chapter 6 out of 15.

I find myself wanting more and more due to the insanely fun gameplay, parts of me feel like this is just a Devil May Cry clone but other parts of me think that a lot of Bayonetta is completely original, the story for one is very unique in the sense I've never seen a story like it before.

Over the top fighting and a lot of cheesy one-liners - yup, this game is awesome. Feature1

FEATURE: The Games I'm Currently Playing - Volume 1!

Games include the 1992 SNES game Pocky & Rocky right up to the recently released Skyrim.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

System: PlayStation 3

I think this is on everyone's "now playing" list, picked it up yesterday on launch, got home equipped with energy drinks to keep me awake (I previously had 3 hours sleep the night before) and started playing the hell out of this game.

I've nearly clocked 12 hours in-game time, and in just that short amount of time, I've managed to do a lot of stuff that isn't even to do with the main quests at all - the sheer scope of this game is absolutely astonishing and I don't believe any game can beat it any time soon...unless Elder Scrolls VI came out tomorrow.

Like previous Elder Scrolls titles, the sense of freedom you get after the initial opening story sequence is immense and over-whelming; I sat there in my chair just wondering what should I do? - pursue the main quest, go in any direction of the world and see what happens, seek out side-quests, join a guild, and so on, there's just so many options, it's hard to never not do anything.

In the first 12 hours played, I've felt like I was in this massive immersive world with limitless things to do and I can't wait to play more tonight! I will be writing a full review once I've clocked at least 50 hours as I want a thorough review.

Resistance 3

System: PlayStation 3

In between my massive Skyrim sessions, I am finding myself playing Resistance 3 for the multiplayer, it's a nice break and relatively fun, when I popped in the disc, there was quite a large update for the game and it was definitely for the best

Online multiplayer has been updated quite a bit, there are maps that I've never played before in it, the experience system is a lot more generous now (I levelled up almost 3 times in one match), and something just feels generally better about the flow of the gameplay. Either way, I like it. A lot. 

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

System: PlayStation 3

I have actually finished this game recently, still a little confused about the ending cut-scene after the credits but I'll figure it out I'm sure.

However, I am still playing this game - I want to go back to each episode and collect any missing gems, weapon upgrades, etc that I missed the first time through, there are a lot of trials that need finishing too. 

Ratchet & Clank

System: PlayStation 2

I finally found a copy of this in a used-item shop for just 99p - an absolute bargain for such a classic (thank God these types of shops don't know how to price games properly).

I had always played this at a friends when it was first out (2002, maybe?) but never got around to actually finishing it so I decided for a game this cheap I can't go wrong, I'm about half way through it and I'm having a lot of fun - the game has aged very well with gameplay that flows perfectly.

Pocky & Rocky

System: Super Nintendo Entertainment System

This is actually a game that's part of my "SNES Alphabet-A-Thon" that I'm doing with a friend on Backloggery, in which we take turns picking a letter, choosing the game with that letter and then completing the game, then continuing onto the next letter.

Either way, this was his turn to choose and he chose a strange, yet very fun game - I'm currently only at the 2nd stage, and actually having problems getting past it, but I'm sure I'll persevere eventually. Definitely need to make time to carry on with this. Feature1

FEATURE: Resistance 3 - Another Victim of Bad Matchmaking?

With so many games incorporating online multiplayer, will we ever get a matchmaking system that truly works?

Fall of Man had a fantastic matchmaking system when it was released,
 which was fair and consistent.

I've been playing the Resistance series online now and again since Fall of Man was released as a PS3 launch title and I had a lot of fun playing online - there was always a sense that I was playing against players with the same skill level as me, and if players weren't interested in serious competitive play, there was a separate way of finding matches to suit your play-style and favoured game-types. Resistance 2 followed in these footsteps, there was a ranked matchmaking system and an unranked, which made the game far more enjoyable for me and I imagine a lot of other players out there, a ranked matchmaking system allows for players of all skill levels to shoot it out against players of the same level as them, which can make competitive multiplayer a thoroughly fun experience.

Call of Duty has the same matchmaking problem as Resistance 3 -
 go into matchmaking and simply hope you play against
 players like yourself...which is unlikely most of the time.

As I write this, I have literally just come back from an online session of Resistance 3 and managed to rack up 32 kills and 4 deaths against extremely low-level players, I am currently a level 29 and I was pitched against level 5-15's, which seems insanely unfair to me. Yes, I know, I took advantage of them to get easy kills and experience.....but that's besides the point - I have also been on the other end of the stick many times, leading to general frustration and a bad kill/death ratio at the end of the match, I am always up for a challenge but it's a bit extreme when you find yourself against max-ranked players during your first match ever (This happened to me a lot the first day I got Resistance 3). It's not just  Resistance 3 that has this problem - every Call of Duty game i've played online has had the same issue; I want to go into matchmaking and face off against players of the same skill but somehow manage to find myself against max-rank prestige players, tell me - how does that work? There needs to be some barriers within matchmaking in online games, for example, the Halo series has always had a clever matchmaking system - you go into a ranked playlist of your choice and the game will put you against players of the same level or very close, which is fantastic, more games should do this, it would make playing them online a greater experience for everyone.

More developers should take note of how
 Bungie went about matchmaking

I'm aware that Halo Reach' matchmaking system is drastically different to previous instalments  but after a year and over worth of playing the game, I find myself playing against people who are similar to my skill level, regardless of the departure of the levelling system previous titles had - my point is, Bungie/343 Industries know exactly how to match up players of equal skill levels and experience, sure Reach isn't perfect, but it's a lot more better than Call of Duty and Resistance 3, so why can't other games have a fair ranking system? Evidently, Call of Duty players don't seem to care that they could be playing against extremely low level players or extremely high level players because it's the best-selling FPS ever. It's a personal thing for me - it's not nice being a bunny facing a lion. Feature1

FEATURE: HD Game Collections - Genuine Fan Gifts or Easy Money?

With HD gaming making its mark on the map in recent years, game companies are producing bundles of older games like there's no tomorrow.

Could Sony be working on God of War 4 instead
of spending their time remastering old games?

Now, I know the demand for past-favourites remastered in high definition is incredibly large, especially with the HD-obsessed world we currently live in - everything must be HD or 3D...or both. What is wrong with simply playing the original versions of these games like they were originally intended?
Have the "new generation" of gamers grew up with too much exposure to current-gen games; that they don't want to accept that some games were in regular resolution at one point? Either way, I do believe there are pros and cons in HD collections but I can also see why companies like Sony are so eager to put out as many possible.

The addition of Peace Walker is a nice extra in this collection,
 but how well will a PSP game convert to HD?

Don't get me wrong, the idea of playing classics such as God of War (PS2) and Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (PS2) is a very exciting thought and I'm sure it will be as pleasurable a gaming experience as it was the first time I played these particular games, it will also be interesting and enjoyable to collect the trophies in these games because obviously the PS2 didn't have virtual e-penis boosting trophies - seriously though, I consider trophies in these HD collections to be a major pro, it is genuinely fun to collect trophies and even more so in games we all loved and played years ago. Now I've babbled on about trophy collecting, here's my two cents on why I think a lot of games are being remastered in HD - all a company needs to do is edit the resolution of the original content and convert that into a higher resolution (there is probably much more work but still at a cheap cost), which really can't be that expensive, and then they can simply put these collections on shelves at almost-full price, resulting in the company gaining max profits for little effort at all. It's a genius idea from a business perspective but it does make me question if companies are simply doing these HD collections for profit or because they genuienly want the fans to experience classic games again in fantastic HD resolution.


Will gamers shell out the cash for essentially a game(s) they've already played and beaten years ago or pass on the HD hype and save money for an actual original title? Are these HD collections a good thing for the people who never played the originals and aren't willing to buy the original consoles? Evidently, it's all down to your own opinion, so comment below on your take on this. Feature1