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My Thoughts on the Xbox One's DRM Policies

Hi everyone

How's it going?

I haven't made a blog post in over two years, my last being in January 2011, and I must say, I'm currently feeling very nostalgic. However, in the aftermath of this year's E3, I felt compelled to share my thoughts. Here we go...

I made the switch from PlayStation to Xbox in 2007 when I traded in my beloved (if slightly worn out) PS2 for a brand spanking new 360. My reasons were simple: it was cheaper than the PS3 and it had BIG exclusives. Halo, Mass Effect, Gears of War, BioShock. It was a no brainer.

Here we are in 2013, and it seems that, once again, I will be crossing the divide. Here's why:

The Xbox One's policies CURRENTLY do not affect me whatsoever. My 360 is constantly connected to the Internet and I never buy used games, but it's my future that makes me wary. I'm currently 19 years old and live with parents who have a fibre optic internet connection, so there's no problems. However, in coming years there's a very good chance I will eventually move out- and whether in that moment I will have access to the Internet in unknown.

Therefore, I am very, very wary about spending £425 on a console that will require me to be constantly connected to the Internet for such a long and unpredictable part of my life. At least with the PlayStation 4, I have the assurance that wherever I find myself during the "next generation" I can take my console with me, and I know I can play it. And also, it's £80 cheaper. 

I recently saw a quote from Xbox's Don Mattrick who said rather bluntly: "Don't have an internet connection? Buy a 360." Talk about digging a hole.

My plan for the short-term is simple. For the next 12 months at least, I will be happily gaming on my 360. I can play Destiny, Watch Dogs, Titanfall and GTA V all on the trusty little machine and that is fine by me.

I've seen numerous stories about loyal Xbox customer comtemplating crossing the divide after being disillusioned by Microsoft's anti-consumer policies, and this, sadly is one of them too.

Thanks for reading.

Game of the Year 2010: The Winner

Let me just remind you of the nominees one more time:

Halo: Reach

Mass Effect 2

Red Dead Redemption

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

Fallout: New Vegas

And Game of the Year 2010 is...

red dead

Red Dead Redemption

Game of the Year 2010 was probably the worst kept secret ever. Everyone knows how much I love the game, everyone knows how much I love Rockstar and if you don't, just a quick glance at my avatar and banner will show you. Red Dead was a strange one, I hadn't really paid much attention to it until about a week before it came out here in the UK. I watched GameSpot's video review and I was blown away. So on Friday, I picked up the game, and was blown away even more! Everything about this game is perfect. The brilliant setting for one. I would seriously spend 15 minutes or so just staring out at the huge desert landscape. A world full of wildlife, great characters including John Marston, who is now one of my favourite game characters of all time. He was just a complete badass, but you know his intentions were good and his brilliant story of revenge and loss was another strong point in Red Dead Redemption. It's just everything you expect from a Rockstar title, an amazing story, fantastic cast of characters and a beautiful setting. A sequel has to come, because this is simply one of the best games I have ever played. Hats off to everyone involved; Red Dead Redemption, Game of the Year 2010.

Game of the Year 2010: Nominees

Firstly, sorry for my recent absence. I'm currently having some serious connection issues and it is driving me up the wall. Heck, I don't even know if when I press Post on this blog, whether it will actually work. We're currently changing to Sky in my household, we have the TV service but the broadband takes another 2 or so weeks to be installed, but hopefully by this weekend, I should have the new connection up and running so I'll be able to post on your blogs again and play some games of Halo: Reach.

So my recent connection problems have forced me to play solely single-player games and consequently I have finished the main storyline of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. Great game, if a slow start. Therefore, I can now start the process of naming my Game of the Year for 2010. Here are the nominees:

Halo: Reach

halo reach

Mass Effect 2

mass effect 2

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

assassins creed brotherhood

Red Dead Redemption

red dead redemption

Fallout: New Vegas

new vegas

2010 was a fantastic year for games. Before it, only one game had ever recieved a perfect 10 score (GTA IV). But this year had not one, but two 10/10 games. All of these games are fantastic, but only one can win, and that winner will be announced on Tuesday 25th January; so check back to see who it is!

Most Wanted of 2011!

Happy New Year everyone! :D Hope you all had great fun bringing in the new year! And this new year promises many great things for us gamers, here are some of my most wanted games for 2011:

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Gears of War 3

gears of war 3

Gears of War 1 was the first game I ever got for my Xbox 360 and the first shooter I'd ever played (that was mine) before that I basically just played FIFA and Crash Bandicoot. As soon as I started playing it, I loved it; spending an unhealthy amount of time playing the brilliant multiplayer. Gears 2 was a great game, sadly the multiplayer wasn't up to scratch at the time of release and it wasn't until a few title updates that it was fun to play. However, the Gears of War series is one I love and I feel, with the amount of time Epic have had to develop it, and the great finale with the Locust, Gears 3 will definitely be one the great shooters of 2011.

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Batman: Arkham City

batman

For me, Batman: Arkham Asylum was one of the stand-out games of 2009. It created a great atmosphere, an amazing story and made you feel like Batman. Hiding in the shadows, trying to work out how you're going take out the room of thugs without being detected is a great experience and no doubt will be made even better in Arkham City. A new enemy and new setting is promised and there will be also more surprises as the Batman franchise go from strength to strength.

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Mass Effect 3

mass effect 3

Mass Effect 2 was definitely a stand-out game of 2010 and will be up there challenging for GOTY when I announce the candidates later this month. And in case you don't know, the fight is coming to Earth and in the trailer at least, London! Mass Effect always pulls me into the story, I couldn't wait to do the Suicide Mission in ME2 or kill Saron in ME1, I was also compelled to find out more about the characters, to find out their story and their motivation. ME3 promises a great finale to the Mass Effect story which is sure to be one of the greatest games of 2011.

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L.A Noire

LA Noire

Who doesn't love Rockstar? They make awesome games and deliver everytime. Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption, Max Payne, the list just goes on. And Rockstar have been on blistering form recently with GTA IV and the amazing Red Dead Redemption, so LA Noire is sure to be brilliant. You can always count on Rockstar to create an amazing cast of characters, a great story and massive open world to explore and judging by the trailers, LA Noire has the best lip-syncing I have ever seen. Seriously, go watch the trailers, it is actually scary. LA Noire is sure to be another Rockstar hit, and i can't wait to play it!

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So guys, there are my most wanted games of 2011. Sure, there's others, but those are the ones I want the most. I'm still plugging away at AC: Brotherhood, but still no where near finished so GOTY will have to wait for the meantime.

Happy New Year! :D Till next time.

New TV + Assassin's Creed Update!

Hey guys,

Hope you all had a great Christmas! I sure for one did. Some great presents including Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. I haven't had much time to play it due to all the Christmas festivities, however, I have managed to squeeze for playtime in. I'm currently on Sequence 3, so not that far into the game. It doesn't seem to stray too far from Assassin's Creed 2 and most of the time it seems like the same game, with just a different story, there's nothing too wrong with that though. I've also played some of the multiplayer and it is great! I've had a little go of the Hunter game mode and it's great fun. Love having the hunt down the other team while they are trying to hide from you, great fun!

Also, with the money I've got from Christmas and my Birthday, I've spent it on a brand new Sony Bravia TV: Take a look for yourself:

tv

Pretty sweet huh?

Have a great New Years guys. Don't get too drunk. ;)

I am 17 today!

While most people are all about Christmas during this part of the year, the 23rd December is the day that I was born. I know, ridiculously close to Christmas but hey, what can I do about it? Because I had my iPhone 4 earlier this year, I didn't have quite the masses of presents, I did have some clothes, a £25 iTunes card which has been spent already on The Beatles/John Lennon. And also my last game of the year (probably)...

AC Brotherhood

I now FINALLY have Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. Heard great things about this game and I can't wait to play it!

Have a great Christmas guys!

I'M BACK! Fallout completed!

Okay guys, I apologise for my recently going AWOL but I had some stuff going on. I literally just this second finished the main storyline of Fallout: New Vegas. Great game, and just as good as Fallout 3. This crippling glitches that people complained about never happened to me and I enjoyed it from start to finish. Definitely a GOTY contender!

Fallout: New Vegas: 9.0

So with the completion of Fallout, I am now all ready for the only new game I will be receiving for Christmas, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. A friend of mine who I play Halo: Reach with says its definitely one of the best games he's ever played so, to anyone else who has played it, is he right? I mean, I wasn't much for the first Assassin's Creed, but AC2 was a great game, and really, should've got GOTY 2009.

Anyway, I am now DEFINITELY back! And to everyone have a great Christmas + New Year!

I have returned!

Hey guys, remember me? Now college has finished for Christmas, I'd have been thinking that it would be the perfect time to return to GameSpot and share the festive joy. I've just actually noticed that my last blog was on the 29th of August! So much has happened since then, so I'd think a little update is in order.

Okay, so games first. I've had four new games since my last blog. Firstly, Halo: Reach. Released in September (doesn't time fly?), Halo: Reach has firmly established itself as my #1 multiplayer game at the moment. I love the new ranking system and all the changes Bungie have made (except Armor Lock) to make the game feel fresher. The campaign was good, and I completed it on my own, on Legendary, which was a... challenge, but a very enjoyable one. I've also bought the new Noble Map Pack which recently came out and it is money well spent. I've given it a 9.5, so it is definitely in the running for Game of the Year.

The other three games I've gotten are F1 2010, FIFA 11, and Fallout: New Vegas. F1 2010 is a very brave and very good attempt at bringing F1 to the current generation of consoles. It falls short in some areas, but a solid racing game. I've given it an 8, so it will probably miss out on the GOTY running. FIFA 11 is again, a great football game by EA. It's starting to get a bit old, and a bit repetative and FIFA 12 will definitely need something new, but FIFA 11 is a great game and an awesome party game! Then there's Fallout: New Vegas, it looks completely outdated, it doesn't stray too far from Fallout 3 but it is one great game. The story is awesome and I love how you can choose a side you want to help, or be completely independent. It also has a great set of characters and a huge world with so much to do! I'm currently Level 23 and have played it for 30 hours! I'm on the bit where it warns you if you carry on, that you will do the final quest and the game will end, so I've gone back and am currently doing some side quests but I will do the final quest and complete the game before Christmas so I am all ready for my only Christmas game:

ac brotherhood

Yes, the only game I will be getting for Christmas (or Birthday which is two days before) is Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. After being let down by the first one, I absolutely loved the second one and looking back; it should've got Game of the Year. I've heard nothing but good about Brotherhood so I cannot wait to play it. And once I've played it, (and completed because I wait till I've done the main storyline of a game before I score it) I will draw up the nominees for Game of the Year 2010 and announce the winner sometime in Late January/February.

I also saw all the great trailers for the great games coming next year. 2011 is looking awesome already with: LA: Noire, Mass Effect 3, Gears of War 3, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Batman: Arkham City and loads more!

It's great to be back guys and I'll talk to you just before Christmas!

Oh and for the people wondering, no, I did not pick up Black Ops, and after playing it, I'm damn glad I didn't!

I now have an Xbox 360 slim!

So I decided to take a little break from GameSpot in the last couple of weeks, but now I'm back and I have a brand new Xbox 360. On Tuesday, I got my GCSE results. Me and my Dad were pretty happy with them, so as a little treat for the 11 years of work in education, I got treated to one of these:

xbox 360

If you remember from my previous blogs, I mentioned that I was having problems with my near 3 YEAR OLD Xbox 360 Elite. It just randomly decided that sometimes, it was not going to read my discs and it was annoying me. But now, I have a brand new Xbox 360 slim. You may remember that I made a blog calling it the 'Worst Looking Console EVER', I'm still not the biggest fan of the new design, but other features I am LOVING! Like, for example, the enormous 250GB hard drive! I was starting the fill the 120GB on my old Elite, but now, I have plenty of room! It is also so, so quiet. My old 360 sounded like a plane taking off when running a game, but the Slim has a really nice hum to it.

xbox 360 slim

So on my new 360, I'm basically going through the task of finishing all my games before the monster that is Halo: Reach hits. After a slow start, I am LOVING Borderlands. Think I am getting close, but I am going through and completing all the other missions before I do that and I am hoping that I may get 1000G on Borderlands, which would take me over 30,000G!

And Halo Reach is just 19 days away!

Till Next Time Guys.

Too much to blog about! (32 days to go)

So first up, Red Dead Redemption. I now have 100% completion on RDR and the 100G achievement to go with it. It took me a while, getting all the outfits, capturing 20 bounties, and getting level 10 in all the ambient challenges were the most time-consuming but I had a target in mind to do it before Halo Reach arrived and I have done it with 32 days to spare. Therefore, this probably means the end of Red Dead for me. I may re-visit it when some DLC comes along, but for now, I'm putting it down, it's been one hell of a game. I've now moved on to the task of completing Borderlands.

mafia II

Mafia II Demo Impressions

Yesterday, I downloaded and played the Mafia II demo. It basically allows you to play one mission from the game and roam around a very restricted area of the Mafia II world (however, you have a timer). Basically, it's great. It plays very well and the combat is brilliant and also, very realistic. Just two bullets will send a man down, for me, this really appeals to me, but also it's works both ways as you can also be killed in just two shots; so check them corners! There's one thing that really sticks out about this game, it is so, so similar to GTA. The mission structure is very similar (talk to a guy, go and kill someone and return) and just roaming around the city in a 1940's car definitely has a touch of Grand Theft Auto about it. There are some differences though. Cops will do you for speeding and also 'hit and run', something which is the norm in GTA. You also need to fill your car with petrol as it will run out, so keep your eye on the meter. Judging by the demo, Mafia II is shaping up to be a great game. Sadly, due to my tight budget, I will have to wait till Christmas, but I will definitely be picking it up.

Halo: Reach and other things...

As previously mentioned, it is now just 32 days till Halo Reach is released. It reaching fever pitch and I am so excited for it! It is easily my most anticipated game since Halo 3 and on Wednesday, I pre-ordered my copy from Gamestation which also allows me to download me a code for the Recon helmet in the game. However, saying that, there is going to be a lot more better looking helmets in the game, so I can't see myself wearing it long. I also caught a glimpse of BioShock Infinite. Big BioShock fan, so I am definitely looking forward to seeing more!

Till Next Time Guys!