Games of Autumn 2010 : Edition M

I sort of hate a lot of game journalists these days. No, hates too strong a word, Im simply confused that they can get away with pumping out so much shite without losing their job or getting roundly lambasted by the general public. I suppose, as usual, its as much a condemnation of the general public as the direct target of my ire. Anyhow, following the annual summer lull were moving into the tidal wave of autumn game releases which drops away to a mere trickle in the first weeks of December. And I know that you my gentle reader may be too busy with this much ballyhooed “real life” to weed out the wheat from the chaffe. So here you go, the titles coming out in the next few months (or that have been recently released) that I would suggest buying/playing/pirating/taking a look at/worshipping like a god. Continue reading…

Initial impressions of the Final Fantasy XIV Open Beta – Part 2 – Combat and Cut Scenes

Well that was fucking sweet. I was wandering around looking for the Pugilist’s Guild when a message pops up on screen asking me if I was sure if I wanted to leave the area as I might not be able to return. As the area in question was a street I wasnt too pushed and hit yes. Cue some lovely looking in game cut-scene, which leads to your first combat, which ends with some more sweet cut-scene action. This is is how you should do in game “events”. Continue reading…

Initial Impressions of the FFXIV Open Beta

Earlier in the week, just before the FFXIV (Final Fantasy XIV) Open Beta began I struggled with the question of whether to sign up or not. On the one hand I would get to see the game early and get an idea of what it was like, on the other hand I had already pre-ordered the game so was I spoiling it for myself? Also open beta’s are mainly for bug testing to the game would be buggy as fuck and may put me off, which would be unfair to the finished product. So I decided against it. Until I saw some screenshots. But by then the first phase of the open beta had closed. Luckily the second phase began yesterday and I managed to sign up. That was about sixteen or seventeen hours ago. Sixteen or seventeen hours, most of which have been spent trying to download or patch the client. Continue reading…