A Game; A Book and an App

It's Friday, so time for a light post just about my "stuff" this week (copyright Paul and Spike Show). This last weekend and week have all but been consumed by Resident Evil 5. It is just awesome. The missus and I have been searching for a decent two player game and this really is it.

Most two player games are designed, basically, for the one lonely geek playing alone who can use the second player as backup. In Resident Evil 5 you can command the second player, Shiva to attack or hold back or give you her items. But when you play with a live person there is actually enough for TWO people to do in each level. Amazing. Asides from that it has an interesting storyline, some of the best in-game fight sequences I've ever seen outside of a John Woo movie and incredible replay value. In fact, after completing the game once we started up a new game. Straight away. I think I;d only ever done that before with Resident Evil 1, and that was because you played as a different character and had slightly different things to do.

There are some downsides. It has the same limitations as Resident 4 had (on the Wii) in that you can't move and shoot. This often results in getting stabbed by a zombie with a bottle in the face while you stand there reloading your shotgun. Also, you inventory is extremely limited and while this adds an extra challenge, it can sometimes just be stupid and annoying. Why can I carry 5 hand grenades in one space, but a flash grenade takes up a whole other space? Bah. Anyway, I can't promote this game enough.

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The book I have been *trying* to read for a couple of months now (shame on me) is James Patterson's "Violets are Blue". I had heard of it and read a later book of Patterson's but saw this at a yard sale and thought "why not for a $1?". Despite having lovely small chapters allowing for ample break time, it's a bit like moving through treacle reading the book. I don't really have an affinity for the hero and I feel like I know everything about the villains. So, I'm left just waiting for the inevitable to happen, a meeting of the two. There is little mystery, a ankle's depth of research, and characters that I can't bring myself to like. Perhaps it's just a slow third of the book and the rest will pick up.

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The app that I have been "rocking" the most recently is a classic. Pandora. I just can't get enough of it. I have an embarrassing collection of playlists on there but I'm getting to a point where I can choose a playlist depending on my mood and situation and Pandora delivers the goods. I have pop playlists, rock playlists, disco playlists, and even classical (I thoroughly recommend Haydn by the way). It's almost enough to make me fall in love with music all over again.

This week...

I have been mostly playing: Resident Evil 2. Great stuff.

Top 5 Video Games Ever

Playing Silent Hill reminds me of some of the best games I have ever played. Ever. It's not easy coming up with a 5 but here I go. Feel free to comment, give me your top 5 etc...

1. Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2. This has been the only PlayStation game I ever played enough to give me "PlayStation Thumb". That is two incredibly sore thumbs that made it pretty difficult for me to write when it came to my Psych exam the next day. The controls were so fluid, the challenges were difficult but not impossible and their was a decent competition aspect added in as well. Two player mode was also pretty decent and added to the one player story mode meant that you could be playing this game many months after first cracking it out the box.

2. Goldeneye. This N64 beaut was just jaw-dropping. I mean getting to be Bond was a dream come true but throw in a bunch of cool weapons (like the Golden gun and double missile launchers) a story mode that followed the movie pretty well and an endlessly entertaining 4 player multiplayer mode just made this a complete package. It was worth buying an N64 just to have this.

3. Doom. The definitive first person shooter. What a cracking game. The music was awesome. That cool noise when doors open. Finding secret rooms and blowing the heck out of demons with a shotgun. Great stuff.

4. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Despite being the obvious reason for crime across the global this game really showed the world what games could be. Funny, guns, well scripted and acted, have great graphics, gameplay, realism, guns, stealing cars, and guns. Plus you basically could just run around a big old map doing what the heck you liked. Even if you didn't decide to do any missions. One of the best features was simply having the radio stations. Such a simple idea but it really helped separate this game from the rest.

5. Mariokart - SNES. Another game that I could and did play for hours upon hours. The normal races were good. You weren't going to win first time, but once you learned some tricks and strategy and could remember the course you eventually improved at a satisfying level. Yes the graphics were simple but throwing that cart around the track was just so much fun you didn't care. Again, the multiplayer aspect was such a great idea. Battling go-karts with nothing more than different coloured shells and furious skidding.

Jinja/Shinto Shrine

This is a fun point and click game involving some sort of Japanese shrine and a heck of a lot of clicking. The objective is to stop a missle from hitting the Earth...or leaving the Earth by solving plenty of puzzles, using objects and running around a bit. Quite a tricky game but well worth playing.

Grand Theft Auto IV - Preview

I first remember playing a GTA game many moons ago. The view was top down. The gameplay basically involved driving around a toy-like car to various phone booths and then gunning down appropriate gang members or vehicles. Much, MUCH changed a few years later when I was introduced to Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Now the perspective was behind the character, you could jump in a whole bunch of new cars, travel where ever you wanted, and listen to some sweet 80's tunes. Oh, and you still had the chance to gun down some people. The missions became more involved, there was a proper story running through it with guest voice actors such as Ray Liotta, Dennis Hopper, Burt Reynolds and Debbie Harry and also about a million (roughly) side missions and tasks to accomplish. I was pretty much hooked just watching someone else play. I was very excited to get my hands on the next game in the series Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Much the same kind of adventure as the first, but a new character, a much bigger playing area now involving three cities, and a heck of a lot of missions to accomplish. Not to mention another great 90's soundtrack. After much waiting GTA:IV is soon to be released. From what I've seen of the trailer and screenshots it looks beautiful. Rockstar have said that there will be more of a blur between on and off mission action also so exploring the universe will actually have more of a purpose. The game will be the biggest in scope meaning that you can enter more buildings and investigate more areas. Sounds great to me. Only snag is...this could be $90 a game...so if anyone wants to donate me a game I'll be happy to play and tell you all about it.

RGB - Room Escape

This room escape game is one I like to consider "well done". It has some nice graphics which are warm and inviting. If there are only a few visual glitches that don't interfere with the gameplay. It is easy to look around the room, and use objects, and look at objects. There are also some really nice puzzles that require some straight forward logical thinking. Best of all there is no pixel hunting...oh and there are two ways of completing the game. I only managed to find the one though :-s It will probably take up about 30 mins of your time but it's well worth it will be a nice break from your day. Good luck!

Escape the Health Center

Having escaped from quite a few rooms point and click stylee this game is a welcome break from spinning around looking at four walls. You have to try and escape from the Health center (centre) but that mean ole nurse keeps coming to check to see if you are back in your room every 5 minutes. There are some nice puzzles, a kinda medium graphics level that doesn't interfere with gameplay too much and a few rooms to run about it. Overall, a fun game that shouldn't take too long to do. Let me know if you need some pointers....

Game site round up

I thought I'd owe it to the very name of my blog to at least have SOME information about Point and Click games which have become part of my weekly routine. If I'm not escaping a room somewhere McGyver style at least once a week I feel a little lost. Here are some of the places I like to check out for my hit of Point and Click:

1) Lazylaces

A fellow Brit who posts Mon-Fri Point and Click games available online. You can rate the games and supply your own comment. Usually there is two or three games a day. Some are hits, most are misses but there is certainly something for all palates.

2) Nordinho

A forum with a whole lot of games. You don't have to join it to play the games though and usually the solution is posted in the threads (not that I look at solutions). Check under "New Adventure Games" for the point and click section.

3) Jayisgames

A review site for many Flash games (not just PnC) which frequently updates and holds a heck of a lot of older games in it's archives. The reviews can get pretty in depth with full descriptions and a sort of playability guide. My advice is just to take a peek at the screen shot, read the first few lines and then give it a go if it looks good. Games are so subjective aren't they?

4) Newgrounds

A site that is as much about Flash games as it is about Flash movies and guides on how to make your own using Flash. A great resource for anyone new to Flash or who just wants to watch some homemade Flash movies and play some sweet, original games. Not all the games are suitable for work or children (but it will tell you that on the website).

Wholesome fun

It's probably not a term used that often. Unless of course you are speaking a lot with myself as I tend to use it all the time and probably in an ironic way. Wholesome fun. I'd like to say that all my fun is wholesome but I must admit i'm pretty partial to playing Grand Theft Auto and end up watching pretty violent, bloody, or scary movies. not exactly the activity of choice on The Waltons. Needless to say, I did enjoy myself playing an at-home version of pictionary this weekend. Movie based pictionary using a white board, a big book about movies and some washable markers. It didn't take very much to set up and it certainly didn't cost much. In a world where wii's are praised for getting kids to move and play video games and Apple iphones are eagerly awaited I think there is still a place for playing silly games at home and flexing your brain a little. So go look in your cupboards, basements, attics and get out your old board games and give it a go...and then invite me over.

By the way, does anyone remember watching Win, lose or draw? bonus points if Danny Baker was on it...or if you know who Danny Baker is.