Hidden Gaming Gems

You know the ones. The games that we stumble across by accident that actually turn out to be some of the best experiences we have in gaming. A hidden gaming gem that we will play completely to the end several times (maybe on different platforms) just for the fun of it. Or maybe perhaps we find the multiplayer aspect of a game too good to put down? Whether it be from years ago or maybe more recently, there are games out there that grab us and don't let us go. Some that come to mind are:

- Burnout Revenge: The multiplayer in this game as truly immense and it was the first ever game I went online to play multiplayer. It's a real shame this game is nearly impossible to play now due to how log ago it was released. Bring it back! Burnout Paradise was nothing in comparison to this arcade racer.

- Broken Sword: A childhood memory for me and one that will likely stay with me for the rest of my life. I've re-played this game on the DS, the IPhone, Ipad and PC (originally on the PS). A truly all time classic point and click adventure.

- Call of Duty: I agree with some that this franchise is becoming nothing more than a money grabbing  tyrant where they justify a full retail price for the next reincarnation which may not be so different to the latter. This said, they certainly do get the last laugh as the multiplayer is compellingly addictive and buying the next in the series feels a lot like getting the next Apple product.

- Discworld: I'm not sure how popular this game was, but along similar lines as Broken Sword, this point and click adventure is just as addictive. The difference? This game lends more humour but also in a much more fictitious environment and plot. Worth a download!

This is just a small selection of the games that come to mind first but there are many more. I remember the days of playing 'Zelda: The Ocarina Of Time', 'Super Mario All Stars' and to perhaps a lesser extend 'GTA: San Andreas'. What are yours?

Will World Of Warcraft Always Be At The Top?

Don't get me wrong, World of Warcraft is a great game, with great support and it has an in depth world to explore, great gameplay/crafting systems etc etc.. But is it time that something else took the MMO throne.. It has been 8 years (approximately) so surely we should be crying out for something different by now?

At its peak I believe the subscriber number was around the 11 million mark, which has dropped to somewhere around the 9.5 million mark in recent times. This sounds like a large shift, but when you relate these figures to other MMOs, World of Warcraft stands clearly as the victor.

What's your stance. Is it time that World of Warcraft lost its dominance? Are there any other games out there that you think would rightfully deserve it more?

Personally, there are games like Rift, for instance. Rift is similar to WoW in a lot of ways, but in a lot of others also improves on it (graphics and randomly generated rifts in the world for instance). Maybe Elder Scrolls Online could topple it? Extremely unlikely.

Is it possible that upwards of several million people are too far invested in WoW now, with their characters maxed out and so forth, that moving on would just seem crazy? This could be a good reason why WoW would remain at the top (not to mention it is still a top performer in its genre, even 8 years on).

Terraria, Minecraft and now.. Blockheads

The block games continue as the latest game to release, called Blockheads, hits the app stores. The game is more similar to Terraria as it works off the 2D model and in a lot of ways, is much more casual and forgiving (I guess this is to be expected on a mobile device as this ensures maximum sales).

- You cannot fall to your death. You merely instruct your character where to go. If its possible to get to, your character will get there. If not, he/she will not move.

- Very little nighttime creatures. One of the first things I noticed at the end of the first day. I had built a shelter with doors, stored resources and created light. All in vein as no creatures came out at night to unleash an unholy attack on my little character. Disappointing in a way, but in another way, it makes it possible to explore through the night too.

- As with all casual games these days, the game is free. Free does not mean free though as everything you create, whether it be a weapon, tool or kiln, all requires time. You can pay £1.99 which will double the speed of creating such objects, which is a must, as otherwise it takes forever.

The game runs smoothly and this type of game fits well into the IPads touch screen controls. In some ways, this is a big advantage for this game over Terraria, but others may say that nothing beats the keyboard and mouse, each to their own!

So how does it stack up? Personally, if your looking for an in depth game with lots to do, or if your looking to just basically create something out of nothing, my personal opinion places Mineraft first, Terraria second and Blockheads third.

I wonder what may be next in this genre of block building RPG games and how they will adapt it into different games going forward, only time will tell. For the time being though, will it be Terraria, Minecraft or Blockheads..

Free To Play vs Subscriptions

We may be at a turning point, not only in the MMO genre, but with gaming overall. Whether it be with the majority of MMOs now turning towards a free to play model, rather than the regular financial support of a subscription, or with the same model being adopted now into the casual gaming market (such as FarmVille and the many other apps out there).

So what is best, is the future bright when it comes to a free to play model? The only game that appears to of avoided this is WoW (yes it may be free to play up until level 20 but that isn't any good for anybody), and it is still going strong.

Surely we still get the same content updates and user support across both platforms, as of course, ultimately the company is still getting their money, whether this be through advertising, in game purchases or subscription fees.

- Guild Wars 2 vs WoW
- LOTRO vs Rift

Personally, nothing will beat the subscription as there just seems to be more effort put in. What I don't agree with however is games which ask for a subscription fee but then still prompt you for in game purchases.. for shame..

Have You Ever Bought A Game Twice?

Maybe its just me, but once in a while, you come across a game that you have played before, but perhaps not played in quite a few years. This impulse then causes you to buy the game (now with a much cheaper price ofcourse) to play again. Personally, I can think of many games that come under this category, such as:

Broken Sword

A game I have played so many times, I could probably tell you the story from start to end. The reason this game has been bought more than once, is mainly because I've lost it somewhere over the last few years, and then it was released onto a different format many years after. I originally played Broken Sword on the Playstation One, then on the PC, and then on the perfectly suited Nintendo DS.

SimCity 4

SimCity 4 is a game that fits itself very well into no bracket whatsoever, it is not too complicated to be cumbersome to a casual gamer. Yet not too casual to put off die hard micro management/city building fans. Simcity is a game which is intriguing. Even if you've already played it, the gameplay functionality is different across varying platforms. For instance, this game can now be played (with little differences in each) on the PC, Nintendo DS and Ipad respectively.

 

 

 

 

Too much money than sense? Well the games we tend to buy again are usually extremely cheap as its many years later when we find them again, and its good to re-visit an old past time and relive it all again; in some cases, with graphical improvements too.