Belated Top 10s - Games

Well now that Top 10 lists are back in fashion (did they ever go out of fashion? -- Ed) it's time for our, rather belated we must admit, top 10 lists. Today we start of with games. 2013 wasn't the greatest year for gaming, with the current-gen consoles winding down with the lead up to next-gen, and the next-gen launch being rather mediocre. Yet at the same time, it feels like there was more content this year than any other, with seemingly more indies, downloadables and free-to-play titles than ever before. So without further adieu, let's take a look at our top 10.

10. Lego Marvel Super Heroes (PS4) - You wouldn't find too many people admitting to this, or any Lego game for that matter, being one of their favourites, but I'm only being honest. I love all the Lego games, add dozens and dozens of Marvel heroes and you have yourself a winner. There's really not much else to say other than you already know whether you like this game or not.

9. Call of Juarez: Gunslinger (PC) - The Call of Juarez games have been a mixed bunch over the years, with the franchise seemingly losing it's way, only to make a resounding come back with this title. It's easy to take people by surprise when nobody really expects much from you and this is certainly what CoJ: Gunslinger did. But you still have to give the crew at Techland props for getting it so right with this title. A great story, and novel storytelling, combine with fun and exciting gameplay, and great graphics and level design. The duel mechanics are a unique aspect that is executed perfectly and altogether this is a great little game.

8. Rogue Legacy (PC) - You might call it rogue-lite. You might scoff that it's "too easy". For me, this game is the logical iteration on the roguelike formula because it gives the rest of us a chance. Not everyone can deal with the amount of abuse and punishment a true roguelike dishes out, and this game gives you a reward for all the time and effort you put in. Does that diminish the feeling when you do complete it? I don't think so. This game is still a challenge, but a relatively fair one. The controls are super tight, the graphics hark back to the good old days and the unique twist on the repeated deaths is more than just a gimmick. This is a great platformer that manages to brilliantly straddle the line between challenge and frustration.

7. Dust: An Elysian Tail (PC) - It's hard to believe that this game was created almost entirely by one person. With sumptuous hand drawn graphics, fun combat and enough RPG elements to make progression fun and rewarding, this is a great Metroidvania-lite, in a year with some other great entries to the genre. I say lite, because the difficulty isn't overly punishing, but the story, characters, art style and combat make this game great fun to go through.

6. The Swapper (PC) - A unique spin on puzzle games with a clever mechanic and some real head scratching scenarios, set within a beautiful backdrop that oozes an eerie sort of tranquility. The ability to move on to a different puzzle if one has you dumbfounded allowing you to return later and solve it instantly means you're never stuck for too long, and leaves you slapping yourself once you see just how, seemingly, easy the solution was all along.

5. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (PC) - We were a little late to get on the Brothers bandwagon, but with the game available for a nice price during the recent Steam sale, we couldn't fight the hype and praise any longer, we had to see it for ourselves. This is a fantastic game. Without any (coherent) dialogue, a beautiful story unfolds and delivers some real emotional punch. The art style is wonderful, taking on a darker tone at times while retaining the fairy-tale feel, and then of course there is the unique control scheme which some may find a little harder to grasp than others. This is a game to be played in one sitting, and will leave you feeling happy, sad and everything in between by the end.

4. Tomb Raider (PC) - Talk about a comeback. Lara Croft rises from the dead with a bang. Gone are the oversized polygon breasts and clunky mechanics. Welcome to the 21st Century Lara. While this game may owe a lot to titles like Uncharted, and, well, Uncharted 2, it does more than just copy, it forges it's own path and creates an entry that more than stands on it's own. The graphics in this game are amazing. Truly next-gen, well before the console next-gen even thought about getting started. The gameplay mechanics are simple but executed perfectly. The combination of exploration, adventuring and combat is perfect, and the story, while not brilliant, is still very good.

3. Bioshock Infinite (PC) - Will this be the last Bioshock? If so, what a way to go out. While I will admit the combat in this game lacked a little something compared to the original Bioshock, it more than made up for it with the brilliant mind fuck story which demanded you keep playing. The art style, and the brilliant contrast between the picturesque and tranquil world of Columbia and the extreme violence you carry out within it made for a compelling experience.

2. DmC: Devil May Cry (PC) - For all the kicking and screaming from the Internet about their beloved franchise, it turned out to be in vain. This is such a great game and a great entry in the Devil May Cry franchise. With a perfect and deceptively simple control scheme and combo system, the combat in this game was so much fun. Easy to pickup, just the right amount of difficult to master. The insane level and enemy design and the story with just enough real world parallels and video game crazy are a perfect match for Dante. He is the ultimate anti-hero after all. Sumptuous graphics and art direction, all running at a buttery smooth 60fps without needing a beastly PC. Forget the haters, this is a brilliant game and props to Ninja Theory for sticking to their guns and delivering their vision with aplomb.

1. The Last of Us (PS3) - It just had to be, didn't it? There's a reason this game has garnered so much attention and praise. Simply put, it's amazing. Naughty Dog are at the absolute peak of their powers and this game proves it. The unflinching story and it's brilliant delivery, the the amazing cinematic set-pieces, the absolute immersion and tension you feel in this game are unparalleled. So much of the brilliance in this game is from the things that aren't the main focus. All the small details that went into creating such a realistic world, the eeriness you feel as you walk through the desolate world and try to piece together what once was, as you scour every nook and cranny trying to scavenge every little bit you can find, as you try to survive at any cost.

Faulty Playstation 4 DualShock 4 controllers - The ongoing saga

Since getting a launch day PS4 console (29th November for those of us in Australia) I have gone through 3 faulty controllers. Seems I'm not the only one either:

NeoGaf discussion -  http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=71116

Whirlpool - http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=2199377

It looks like there are 3 main problems with the faulty controllers, and yours may develop one or all of the issues described based on use.

1) Peeling rubber on the analog sticks - This seems to be the most complained about issue. It looks like certain controllers have a problem where the rubber on the analog sticks is not sealed properly and erodes through use. Eventually the rubber will thin out to a point where it will split and then the rubber will start to completely come off.

2) Sticky shoulder buttons (R1 + L1) - This seems to be a very common issue too and pretty self explanatory. It looks like some people have fixed this issue by getting rid of some dirt or grime caught between the button which caused the problem:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRu3qKcUECk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyFqkm7oIEk

3) Broken R2 / L2 trigger - This one has less complaints but is the very issue which affected all 3 of my controllers. Again it looks like some dirt or grime is the culprit as it sits inside the trigger button and underneath a spring. The friction of the spring on the grime seems to eat away at the plastic hinge holding the trigger, eventually breaking it.

So what can you do?

If you live in Australia, you are entitled to return your controller at the place of purchase for a replacement. We have contacted Sony Support and this is their official response. If any retailer declines remind them of their obligations under the new Consumer Protection Laws.

In the meantime, I also suggest some grips for your controller. You can pick up some decent ones for cheap on eBay. Personally I feel this isn't really something I'm happy with but I really want to avoid the hassle of any more returns. 

Hopefully you've got yourself a working controller, or if you didn't, managed the get it swapped for a fault free one. I'm on my fourth controller now but this one appears to be a good one. Let us know in the comments if you have experienced any of the issues described above, and how well you feel Sony have handled them.

Early reports of faulty PS4 consoles

You just knew it had to happen, right? After the unprecedented amount of hype and positive coverage of the PS4, you just always felt in the back of your mind, "Don't fuck it up Sony." 

And that's not to say they have. A few reports have surfaced of dead PS4s, and since a couple of the sources include IGN and Kotaku, you know they're legit. What we don't know is what is the source of the problem, and how many are affected? 

Obviously there are plenty of working PS4s out there, and so far there are only a handful of reports of failures, but let's be cynical for a while. At least a couple of the failures appear to be a simple manufacturing defect, the HDMI port. Either this is a problem throughout all units or limited to a batch, but it's a pretty bad fuck up from a quality control point of view. The other units appeared to have failed randomly or after the firmware update. Either way, it's a little worrying.

On the other hand, if this was a genuine problem of a catastrophic nature, this would be blowing up the Internet by now. The way broken TVs from the Wii or Red Ring of Death for the Xbox 360 became a phenomenon, the PS4 situation would too, in no time. Now, the official launch is still a day or so away for the USA but I'm calling this as nothing to worry about, for now.

Captain's (Back) Log: Deadpool (PC)

Title: Deadpool

Platform: PC

Difficulty Played: Ultra-Violence!

Time Played: 15hrs

Achievements Earned: 35/50

Rating: 7/10




Well that certainly escalated. What was meant to be a short little time waster ended up with me still playing the game after beating it on the hardest difficulty to get more achievements. Make no mistake, this isn't a great game, or even a very good one, but if you're a fan of button mashers, or the Deadpool character, it's worth a look. 

The game provides a decent challenge on the hardest difficulty, so you'll at least get a little longevity out of it this way, if you just want to see Deadpool, breeze through it on easy. There's a few achievements which ask you to play levels in a certain way which also adds to the replay value but it's really gonna come down to how much of the combat you can stomach.

This is a button masher through and through, and not with a lot of depth. You get three melee weapons, four shooting weapons, a few types of grenades and four special moves which also differ depending which weapons you have equipped. It's easy to string together long combos that can be quite stylish, violent and fun to execute. However, you will quickly see everything and tire of the limited enemy types and bland environments. 

The boss battles can be a bit tense on the hardest difficulty, but the gameplay never differs from shooting and slicing all the time. The game has a few little glitches but is overall very solid in execution. Though my game did develop a glitch toward the end where it restarted itself after every few deaths which got a little annoying.

The Deadpool character himself is executed well. The voice acting is very good, the one-liners and humour is mostly decent, there's token appearances from X-Men like Cable, Wolverine and Rogue and overall it maintains the theme of the comic book character. 

The game is developed by High Moon who are gaining a reputation for solid licensed games after their two Transformers efforts and this is a decent title too. It lacks depth though and still has a little bit of cash-in feel. I feel this is more to do with the publisher than the developer but it certainly holds this title back.

Coming up Next: 

- Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Ultimate Edition (PC)
- Call of Juarez Gunslinger (PC)
- Sleeping Dogs (PC)
- Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (PS3)

I'm leaning toward Call of Juarez since I heard it was short and sweet, but I've been wanting to play Castlevania for a long time now and the sequel will be out soon. Stay tuned....

Best. Unboxing. Ever

Since when is Shuhei Yoshida such a god damn bad ass? For us Australians who are waiting until the 29th November to get our grubby little hands on this beauty, this is only enhancing the agony.