ModNation Racers

 

When Little Big Planet brought us the “Play, Create, Share" idea to the PS3, I was literally blown away by this concept. Being able to use the same tools as the creators to create your own levels from scratch was very awesome but then the concept of being able to share your creation with others and seeing how they tweak it was literally mind blowing!

But now this little known company called United Front Games comes along and offers us the same plate but with Kart racing, where you can create your own karts, tracks, and racers and then easily share your creations online with the community.

As you can see by the video the gameplay is wicked. The customization with this game is unlimited. Most of the parts,props etc are unlocked during career gameplay. Building a racer and car can literally take hours if you want as,size,shape,color,face,body type for racer and cars are huge. All of which the developers have made pretty user friendly  and the track builder is much the same as well.They made it easy to pick up but still deep enough for those of us that require some brain engagement. So far, MNR has surpassed the 1 million mark on mods created by users, all different, all unique. That's impressive. This game is by far in a class of it's own and I beg you to pick it up and give it a whirl as you won't be disappointed, I promise.

Civilization V: Addictiveness at its finest

It's been said that the signs of a truly great game are addictiveness and loss of time. This game has this and more. It's the marriage breaker, the time taker and the fist maker.

I picked this game up a few few weeks ago and immediately after install and game start, this sucker had literally stolen 3 hours from me in seconds flat, or so it seemed to me anyways. Now, I've played pretty much all the Civilizations and it has always impressed me with its balance of game play and intrigue. Hard to imagine that Mr Sid could just on keeping rolling this game along and not fumble somewhere along the line. Nope. Even at number 5 it still continues to impress and awe me. For those of you familiar with Civilization IV or Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, this game is like an old cherished friend with new stories to tell.

For those of you unfamiliar, Civilization V places you as the leader of one of several playable nations,America,Arabia,Aztecs,Babylon,China,Egypt,England,France,Germany,Greece,India,Iroquois,Japan,Mongolia,Ottoman,Persia,Rome,Russia,Siam and Songhai, and starts you out in 4000 BC with nothing more than a settler to build your first city with and a single warrior unit. From there, you must work to build a civilization, winning by means of conquest, science, culture, or diplomacy.

This time around, they've improved the grid to Hexagon based and it works surprisingly well. Whatever nation you decide to assume, you start out with 1 little Hex and work out from there with your 1 settler and 1 warrior. I know, sounds intimidating but just because this is a turn-based game, it doesn't mean it won't move fast. You quickly build  city buildings, roads, trade routes, armies and the occasional diplomacy with neighbouring factions. And like I said at the beginning, it quickly turns ridiculously addicting once you've established you territories as the hunger for lands is in you now and all must be consumed, Mwuhahaha!

But remember, this game advances through the ages, 4000 BC through to Golden Ages and the modern age. So don't bring a Pikeman to a B52 bomber fight.

Overall graphics are amazing and runs pretty good on just a duo core with mid range ATI cards. Controls are pretty similar to the rest of the Civs and the learning curve on this one is pretty lean. So don't be afraid to pick this one up and give it a try folks. But if you have little time, family or friends, well...they might not see you for awhile. Enjoy my friends Enjoy.

Call of Duty Black Ops

The Hype surrounding this game was unbelievable before it's release. Does it live up to it? Yes, very much so!

Gameplay  is solid, very solid. Black Ops is a sequel to Treyarch's previous Call of Duty, World at War. At the beginning of the game, you will be wondering what is going on, but you will understand later. Basically, there is this creepy, faceless interrogator guy who asks you a bunch of questions and you play through Mason's( main character) memories. You will visit various places throughout the globe.My fav was Vietnam.Graphics are amazing, they have set the bar again. Basic controls are R1 to shoot, L1 to aim just like the previous CODs.Although the Single player campaign is only about 10 hours long, it is the best I've ever played. Depth, story and graphics that made my jaw drop.Worth 30 dollars right there, the other 30 is in the next paragraph.

Multiplayer is definetely where it's at in this game though as it has me thoroughly addicted for the last week!
There is a new element in this COD that adds a lot more depth. They are called COD points. You use them to buy weapons, perks etc. You get them by participating in matches ie: Team Death Match, Mercenary,Domination etc . This makes the game more intense and fun as the customization is huge in this game. You can customize guns,face paint, put clan emblems on your gun, get different camos for your gun,create a unique clan emblem, this list goes on.  The last mode is zombie mode. This fun  mode returns from World at War. It is 2-4 player co-op and it requires a lot of teamwork,A mic doesn't hurt either.

All in all, this game is frickin awesome! I haven't been this addicted to multiplayer in a game since Killzone 2. If you haven't got it yet, go get it.  It's worth the 60 bucks and you won't be disappointed .

Torchlight: A true Diablo clone

Like most of the gaming population out there, I have been waiting patiently for Blizzard to hurry up and release Diablo 3. What does one do to fill the time gap? If you are a lover of the ole Hack and slash,gimme loot,dungeon crawler like myself than the pickings are pretty slim nowadays. Sure there is Titanquest and others but they still do not give you that Diablo-esque feel of play. So when I happened to stumble across a forum that rambled on about Torchlights awesomesness, I decided to check it out.

A quick download(400 ish Mbs) and install and this beauty was on my PC. Don't be put off by the WOW looking graphics, this game is far from WOW. If ever there was a true Diablo clone, this is it. It has all the standard dungeon crawler features us gamers love. Leveling,loot,lots of loot,lots of weapon customization,
magic items,unique item, I can go on and on. There are the Town Portals, scrolls, Identify scrolls etc.
Character options are kinda limited.

 There's the Alchemist(magic user), the Vanquisher(basic Amazon ish) and the Destroyer(Warrior). May seem kind of limited but really, how much selection do you need? The cool feature I really like is the Pets. You can choose from a Cat or a Dog. Now, what does one want with a pet you say? Well, in Torchlight the pet serves a big role in aiding you. Not only does your pet provide company on those long,lonely treks into the far reaches of dungeons but it also provides extra inventory space for your loot, which is much needed in this game as there is seemingly endless amounts of treasure to find. And remember when we filled up our inventory  in other games and had to take that annoying trek back to town to sell? No more. Torchlight has introduced an awesome feature I just love, you can send your pet to town  with all the loot you put in its inventory to sell it, all with one click !!Nice.

 Very handy feature that I'm sure we all appreciate. The only thing is, the farther you are down in the dungeons, the longer it takes for your pet to return so  judging where you are, you might want to decide when the best time to do  this is as your pet is not only a great mule but he aids in battles pretty well too. Pets level up with you and they also can be equipped with certain items and magics. Yes, you can have a fire-ball spewing cat or dog.Sorry, no dog with bees coming from its mouth though LOL.

Torchlight consists of the main town of the same name on the surface with all your standard options such as Blacksmith, General Store, Enchanter, Disenchanter and Crafters. Cool thing is, if you craft something and find that the gems you used just don't cut it, you can destroy it and start again, for a price of course.

There is about 37 levels of Dungeon below the main surface of the town and the deeper you go, the harder it gets.Lots of side quests from random people in town too. Needless to say, this game is very fun, quite addicting and very replayable. There is now talk of a release date for Torchlight 2 sometime next summer with the option of multiplayer  going in which is pretty much the only thing I thought this game was missing. Apart from that, Torchlight is a very solid game and I would definetely suggest to any gamer out there who likes this style of game. Check it out now, you won't be disappointed. Visit the website here  Torchlight . Until next time,Happy gaming to all and to all a good night .

The Walking Dead

I know I started this as a gaming Blog but I really felt the need to pay a little tribute to the upcoming Series debuting on AMC on Halloween night, The Walking Dead.

I was first introduced to this fantastic comic a few months back and I've since read 75  episodes of it. Long story short, it deals with people coping and surviving during a Zombie apocalypse. Done all in black in white in the comic, it simply is the best comic I've ever read. The character developement and the artwork are top notch.

 Robert Kirkman is the genius behind this masterpiece and come all hallows eve, AMC will be bringing us this to the comfort of our livingrooms.Frank Darabont  will be producing and he has some good creed from Aliens, Shawshank Redemption and Predator. If you have yet to see the trailer, check it out here:  http://www.amctv.com/originals/The-Walking-Dead/  .  And if you are a long time fan and can't wait til Halloween, the pilot episode has apparently been leaked(probably on purpose to build hype I'm thinking) on the web. No, I'm not going to post a link for this, sorry. It'll be worth the wait I assure you.

Anyways, there's my post for today, paid my homage to a great upcoming series. can't wait to see what they do with it. But for now, I've got to get back to playing Fallout New Vegas.

Fallout : New Vegas

So...I`m not going to come at you all like a typical reviewer on this game, or any other game for that matter, blabbering on about comparisons to it`s predecessor and game engine outdated bullshit. I simply  am going to talk about how I play it, what it`s like, how it plays and the like. There, with that out of the way,let`s begin :)

So I picked up this game on the 19th, install took roughly 10 minutes or so, started it up and began my trip back into the wastelands I so fondly remember. My low end ATI video card seems to be running the game at  high quality to quite my surprise, and the game itself looks very nice.Once again confirming my theory that you don`t have to go out and buy a 300 dollar video card to play the current games out there.

You start out as a courier for the Mojave Express and right away your in deep shit. Some guy in a checkered suit has you digging a hole and then shoots you in the head!  Wow, way to start off, so far, so good. To keep it short, you are saved by an old guy who then gives you the bare essential equipment, including a vault suit, and pushes you out the door into the vast Desert to explore, and explore  you will!  I decided this time to half ass follow the story but also just roleplay a bit and just be a wastelander and roam around checking every ruin,shanty out there and loot and pillage and accept random encounters as they come. In my 25 years of gaming experience, I find that now, the best way to play an open world game is to play it as they intended it. Openly.

So far, I have traveled to a little shanty town called Goodsprings and then off to Freeside, which is a bigger City a ways up the road from Goodsprings.  Now what they`ve done in New Vegas is pack, and I mean pack, the wastelands with many roving tribes and clans, all with different names and agendas. So your typical romp to explore is never a dull moment as there is always some asshole(s) trying to rob you. I personally love this as it brings a Mad Max feel to the game whereas you truely feel lke your a survivor looking out for numero uno and scrounging whatever you can from wherever you can to get by. I also love that plants and vegetation are now around and you can cook up whatever combination at a fire to create healing powder etc.

All in all so far, I`m kinda roaming around still as it`s only been 4 days of gameplay and between work and family life,I don`t get as much time in as say your typical hardcore . But, It is definetely awesome so far and with the sound turned up and alot of focused attention on the game, it sets a definite mood that I like when playing. You really feel drawn in to that era they set and I applaud them on that for sure, even though Bethesda are known pros at that, wait, It`s actually Obsidian that took the reigns on this game but who cares as they are original members of Bethesda anyways. Well.. that`s it for now but I will be back to review more on this title as it`s far from over as the game is epic huge. Hopefully I can regale you all on my further adventures in the wastelands in a couple more days with more interesting details, like random kills,item finds and new areas.

Welcome to Island Gamerz!

Hi all! Welcome to Island Gamerz. Follow the white rabbit as we delve into a myriad of game reviews in the months to come.