Grand Theft Auto V Review

Hey guys and gals GTA V has been out for over a week now so either you've completed it or like me you're ruining though Los Santos picking fights with pedestrians or having high speed adrenaline filled chases with the LSPD (Los Santos Police Department) either way you've experienced the wonders of GTA V if not don't worry this review may just persuade you to become one of the millions of people already playing the game.

The Grand Theft Auto series has been a popular franchise among gamers since it was a top down old-school PC game and as the years went on and technology has made leaps and bounds GTA's fan base as grown astronomically to the point that GTA V is the UK's best selling game of all time beating the titan that is Call of Duty and that is no small task.

In GTA V you control for the first time in the games history not 1 but 3 protagonists while this seems daunting at first during gameplay it seems that Rockstar has perfected multi-character plots and the ability to switch between them. The 3 characters that you will be playing in GTA V are Michael the once best bank robber in the world who has been but into the witness protection program, Franklin the gangster of the trio who will do anything to gain some money and status then we have Trevor who is as crazy and insane as you're going to get but is also quite the comedian.

Get used to these guys as you will be playing them alot

Each character has their own special ability Micheal can slowdown time Max Payne style while shooting, Franklin can slowdown time when you're driving which if you're a bad driver like me this is very handy and Trevor who goes into berserk mode which allows him to deal twice the damage but also receive reduced damage. 
These abilities come at a cost though and that cost is represented by a yellow bar that is located at the bottom- left of the screen with your heath and body amour if you have some. If you're wondering how do you refill your ability meter its quite simple all you do is drive at top speed, driving on the wrong side of the road with on- coming traffic and in Trevor's case taking damage.

If you find that you're dying quickly or your ability bar is depleting rapidly then never fear for these can be upgraded by doing various activities and each activity is related to a certain area for example playing tennis will increase your power do to more damage in melee, running around Los Santos and competing in triathlons increases your stamina which allows you to run father without tiring and driving everywhere will increase your effectiveness with cars.

Driving in GTA V has vastly improved to the point that its fun to drive at high speeds without the fear of crashing 

Now GTA has been know to have some trouble when it comes to driving and that can be seen in GTA IV where if you wanted to turn a corner you would either drift and smash into everything or you would have to slow right down luckily GTA V improves upon this the first time you drive in GTA V you will notice that the cars are very sensitive to movements this is actually a good thing for ever since this has been implemented I haven't crashed so much and its generally more fun to drive from the one end of the map to the other.

The thing that makes GTA GTA are the weapons and how they handle in this respect the people at Rockstar have taken a page from Max Payne 3 where the reticle or the aim point is now a simple white dot this is a more simple version but it can sometimes be hard to see if you don't focus on it. The way in which you select your weapons is again taken from Max Payne 3 for your weapons appear on a radial around your character which you can chose from any you have purchased, depending on your character you may have different weapons say if you have a shotgun for Franklin and not for Trevor then until you purchase or find a shotgun for Trevor he can't select it.

GTA V has had gamers waiting for a long time and when it was finally released it did not disappoint in fact it was beyond expectations so much so that it's being dubbed the best game of the decade which is absolutely correct except for the mandatory 8 GB install to make the game run smoother I have had no disappointments with it. GTA V with over 100 hours of gameplay is going to keep me and fellow players occupied for a long time and with the release of GTA Online on the 1st of October which has over 700 missions I can see GTA being the most played game for many months to come. 

However PC players are suffering with no PC version available for them and Rockstar being smart will most probably announce a PC version in the next couple of months and whith the next generation of consoles released very soon will GTA V be ported to the next gen consoles if so they would not only provide a game that would be visually stunning but would make a ton of money.   

                            
     

A Steam Console?

Hey gays and gals yet another surprise by value today but this one taking the shape of a Steam Machine or Steam Box as people are calling it  which will let you play 3000 games while more to work via streaming. If you are panicking that you will have to buy this new hardware don't worry Value have said that you don't have to purchase it if you don't want to, for more information about this new Steam Machine click on the Link.
If you want the chance to test on of these machines Value is giving only 300 away so you can help with the development so what are you waiting for go check it out. 

A Steam Operating System

Hey guys and gals after a busy week I'm back and ready to work and to start things off Value announced yesterday that Steam is getting its own OS or Operating System. I am hugely excited for this due to the fact that I have a stupid amount of games on Steam thanks to their awesome sales also Value will be bringing something new and exciting to the table. For more information about the Steam OS click on the Link.

    

Saints Row IV Review

Hey guys and gals have you ever dreamed of being the president of the USA and having superpowers? if so then Saints Row IV is the game for you or is it? Read the review and find out for yourself.

Just like any Saints Row game you can expect over the top action and humor now some people hate stuff like that but for me its on of Saints Row's biggest feature. You can guaranty that every conversion that your character has will be filled with sex related jokes and one liners which although may not be pee your pants funny they will make you smile occasionally. 

The overall voice acting in Saints Row IV is good considering the fact that you can chose from 7 voices which include that of Nolan North who famously portrayed Nathan Drake from the Uncharted series and Desmond Miles in the Assassin's Creed series. 

Now on to the thing that makes all Saints Row games great and that is the endless amount that you customize your character from the colour of his/hers eyes to what type of socks they wear. It's this level of customization that makes Saints Row IV one of the silliest games ever made for if you ever wanted to have your character running around Steelport with nothing on except a towel and a halo then you're in luck because Saints Row IV leaves you do just that.

If you like to dress quite silly then Saints Row IV is the best game to do so 

Right off the bat in Saints Row IV you take the role of the president of the United States with one difference though...you have superpowers. When gain your powers they are quite powerful even though they haven't been upgraded, you upgrade your powers by collecting clusters of data which can be found everywhere around Steelport get enough of them and you can run faster,jump further and glide your way across Steelport. When these powers have been maxed out you feel like your are untouchable but that can take a long time if you're not doing any of the side quests of which there are many.

The fighting mechanics in Saints Row IV largely remain the same as Saints Row III which the exception of new super powered melee attacks and new controversial weapons such as the Violator which well you have to play the game or Google it to see why this game isn't for kids however there are weapons that just make no sense like the Dubstep gun which when fired makes civilians dance and cars bounce to the tune of "wub wub" while shooting out bright lights which are surprisingly effective. My favorite weapon though has got to be the Inflate-o-ray which you can guess inflates people well their heads anyway, while this takes time to do it's just too funny not to do. 

The addition of superpowers in Saints Row IV is just amazing no matter how bad you dress

Overall Saints Row IV is the best one so far for the introduction of superpowers and just amazing new weaponry make Saints Row IV a massive sand box that will keep you playing for hours due to the numerous side quests and just running, jumping and gliding around Steelport is just a blast.

Steam Family Sharing Gets People Excited

Hey guys and gals Valve has announced a Family Sharing system for Steam this allows users to share their  game libraries with family and friends. Users may only access a shared library one at a time so if you're playing something and someone wants to play one of  your games they have to wait. The library owner will always take the priority, so if someone's in your library and you want to play say Rome II they'll have a few minutes to quit playing or purchase the game they're running.

Steam accounts can authorize up to 10 devices at a time, however not every Steam game will necessarily be available for sharing external services such as Origin and Uplay, subscriptions, and other tech limitations may prevent you from playing someone else's games. However Valve notes that if you borrow a game you also have access to an owners DLC content.

I think that this I pretty neat espically that Microsoft took family sharing away from the Xbox One then decided to bring it back again, for more information check the Link to the official steam page where you can sing up to the beta.  

New information about PS4 and PS Vita

Hey guys and gals at Sony Japan’s pre-TGS press conference there was a vast array of information regarding next gen consoles and the PS Vita. 
First off the Vita is now designed for "a more casual and easier to use model” it's also thinner, lighter and  comes in different colors. It’s  not only 20 percent thinner and 15 percent lighter than the standard Vita model but the main thing is that its more “affordable,” packing a 5” LCD (liquid-crystal display) display instead of an OLED (organic light-emitting diode) screen. Battery life has been increased by an hour which added to the generous battery life it already has is just amazing. Sony as also announced a 64 GB memory card for the Vita however this so far is exclusively for Japan 

The biggest shock was unveiling of an all-new piece of Vita-related hardware. It’s called PS Vita TV, and it lets you play Vita games on your television. Now that's freaking awesome!
The idea of PS Vita TV is to let you play Vita games on your TV using a DualShock 3 controller.However PS Vita TV has a card slot for Vita games, and accepts Vita memory cards, so it will let you use video streaming services. It will even let you play your PlayStation 4 via Remote Play with DualShock 4. Sony are really pushing for the Vita to be the ultimate go to device when it comes to mobile gaming so if your a Vita owner 2013/14 will be a very good year for you and with rumors of a PS3/4 Vita bundle Sony could be racking in the cash.   

In other news the PlayStation 4 will launch in Japan on February 22, 2014, and will cost 39,980 Yen or $401 on its own with a DualShock 4 controller, or for 43,980 Yen $441 with the PlayStation 4’s camera. A special “First Limited Pack” will also be available, which will come with a download code for Knack and a one year guarantee on the hardware itself.  This year and next looks like a very expensive year for gamers and hardware enthusiasts. 

Xbox Live Rewards Made More Simple

Hey guys and gals if you spend a lot of money on Microsoft points then you must be familiar to Xbox Live Rewards which is a good system if you have the money. In the release of the Xbox One almost here Microsoft have re-imagined the entire Reward system and it's much more fair and manageable, for more details look below.  

Total War: Rome II Review

Hey guys and gals for this review we will be going back in time by about 2000 and odd years for one of the best RTS franchises that has hit the gaming market. So sharpen your swords and tie your sandals for Total War: Rome II.

If you haven't heard of the Total War series then you haven't played the best Real Time Strategy (RTS) franchise in the world. When Rome II was announced the fans of the series where intrigued for the original Rome has some hardcore fans which wanted to know where Creative Assembly would take the legacy of Rome, will they lead the squeal to glorious triumph or would they send it to the depths of Hades?

As with all Total War games you can control dozens of factions that are suited to the time period and Rome II's roster seems to be the biggest yet from the mighty Rome to the unique Eastern Pontus. Each faction comes with their own advantages and disadvantages which is new to the Total War series these advantages and disadvantages aren't game changing but if you're not careful the could backfire on you.

Also new to the Franchise is the introduction of provinces. Provinces are made up of 2-4 cities or settlements if you control all the cities and settlements you not only get the control of the province but you then have the ability to announce edicts which basically are buffs for that province these can range from extra food and increased tax to increased recruitment slots but you can only apply 2 edicts from the start but as your factions influence increases you can apply more and more edicts which are extremely helpful.

Rome II's campaign is vast and compelling 

In every RTS game without armies you can't win or defended against your enemy luckily this is Rome II's bread and butter. You still recruit troops the same way except that unlike previous Total War you can't split your army throughout the campaign map unless they are attached to a general this is a major pain for you cant take advantage of a settlement that only has a few troops defending it. On that note the days of raiding buildings in and around cities have gone for they are all contained within the city it self the thing that was a big thumbs up for me was that each building give you a certain number of troops so that you can defend your city if its attacked whether this is to compensate that you can't split your forces I don't know.

Now onto the best thing about Rome II, the combat. Just like all Total War games the battles have been intense and heart pounding and Rome II doubles the intensity with the introduction of naval battles combined with land battles. This amazing feature is arguably one of the best things about Rome II it allows your land troops to be supported by your fleet whether it be landing extra troops or raining fire from your siege ships. One on one fighting also has had a massive overhaul in Rome II even though the camera doesn't go that close to the troops you can still see each man fighting their individual fight which can sometime be quite satisfying to watch.    

Watching individuals fight to the death is some what fascinating  

As an avid Total War fan I was hugely looking forward to Rome II and I was not disappointed. There is some hiccups but that's to be expected for a PC game that has only just been released so if you're a huge Total War fan then Rome II is going to make you wish that you were a Roman solider but if you're just a casual player I personally would wait until the hiccups are fixed but overall Total War: Rome II is one of the best in the series.   

Xbox One release date announced

Hey guys and gals the long wait for the release date for the Xbox One was announced earlier today and that date is, drum roll please...November 22 in the following regions Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, UK, and the USA. Not only do we know the release date but the Xbox One's CPU has been boosted from 1.6 GHz to 1.75 GHz. This puts Microsoft a full week behind the PS4's November 15 launch in the USA but a week ahead of the November 29 Europe.