In October 2009 I was invited over to Ubisoft’s Sydney offices to have a go on a few upcoming games and to have a chat with some of the folks behind them. One of the games on show was Assassin’s Creed 2 and my host was the game’s creative director Patrice Désilets.
Assasin’s Creed 2 was the first part in what would become a trilogy of adventures for Ezio Auditore, his story coming to a conclusion in November with the release of Assassin’s Creed Revelations. Assassin’s Creed 2 had a lot ot live up to. The first game, whilst technically a work of genius, was dull and repetitive to play. With the sequel, failure was not an option. If Ubisoft failed for a second time AC2 was likely to be it for the series.
The most vivid memory of the trip was of me being completely shit at the game in front of the game’s creator- an overly excited French-Canadian who was practically bouncing of the wall whilst observing my complete ineptitude.
This time of year is always a worry for me. As publishers start to release details of their Christmas games releases and the inevitable collector’s editions (that I find completely irresistible), my wants list gets longer and longer, as does my financial commitment to this damn obsession of mine.
What doesn’t help is being exposed to PR releases, and then writing about upcoming games. It is difficult to not get excited, even for games that may not have previously been on my must-have radar. Continue reading Seasonal game pre-order nightmare→
My copy of Ultimate Spider-man (or is that Ultimate Comics Spider-man..I give up) #160, the death of Spider-man issue, arrived today from my pals at Mark One Comics in Hamilton.
I’ve not really been looking forward to it, as I’ve still got most of the year-long run up to Spider-man’s alleged demise sitting on my reading shelf.
As I opened the comic book shipment, cherry-picking the must reads ( Conan, Rocketeer) from those that I’m duty-bound to read (Black Panther, Ultimate Spider-man), I noticed something a little retro that I wasn’t prepared for and to be honest brought back my geeky OCD.
A bit late, but here is the roundup of my daily gaming news from last week on New Zealand’s technology website www.techday.com, the online home of Netguide magazine and Game Console.
Last week I looked into Ubisoft’s assault on the second-hand game market, checked out the Euro leagues taking the All Blacks Rugby Challenge, looked into Battlefield 3’s contribution to literature, got all excited about pre-ordering the new Ace Combat game and reported on Activision’s licence to remaster Bond in HD.
Time to regurgitate another of my old missives. I assure you that this current trend of mine is only in order to put some of my old material to good use. Normal service will most likely return at the weekend.
I hated reviewing Arkham Asylum. It was with tear-stained eyes that I hurried though the game, barely pausing to take in the game’s magnificence. When I put my hand up for the Games Console reviewing gig , as far as I was concerned Arkham Asylum was just another half-baked attempt to bring the Dark Knight Detective into the realm of the video game. It had been tried before and, as far as I was concerned – as with previous attempts – it was likely to be shite.
I love Alan Wake. I love the setting, that quaint little town in the American Northwest. I love the “something in the woods” story. I also love the TV episode design style and the fantastic soundtrack.
Before I reviewed the game for Game Console, I wrote a little piece about the inspiration behind Alan Wake. The game is full of little nods and tips of the hat for the amusement of the initiated. Whilst the game was overly ambitious and didn’t really find its commercial audience, I still believe it to be one of the best games of 2010. I’m not sure if this was ever published, if it was, it would have been in the Game Console section of Techday.com. Anyway, here it is.
You know when you start aimlessly browsing though YouTube videos? Well I was doing that this evening when I came across these little gems from 2008.
It’s a three-part CGI adventure from Marvel Comics featuring Webhead, Tinman and the Green Goliath vs. some gigantic Cylon robot-things. Love the idea of a superhero calling for assistance on his mobile phone.
In October 2009 I was invited over to Ubisoft’s Sydney offices to have a go on a few upcoming games and to have a chat with some of the folks behind them. One of the games on show was Assassin’s Creed 2 and my host was the game’s creative director Patrice Désilets.
My copy of Ultimate Spider-man (or is that Ultimate Comics Spider-man..I give up) #160, the death of Spider-man issue, arrived today from my pals at 
This isn’t the first time I’ve started a post stating that this isn’t a music site. And it isn’t.
A bit late, but here is the roundup of my daily gaming news from last week on New Zealand’s technology website 
Time to regurgitate another of my old missives. I assure you that this current trend of mine is only in order to put some of my old material to good use. Normal service will most likely return at the weekend. 
