{"id":10574,"date":"2012-04-11T09:00:05","date_gmt":"2012-04-11T08:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.badreputation.org.uk\/?p=10574"},"modified":"2012-04-11T09:00:05","modified_gmt":"2012-04-11T08:00:05","slug":"gamer-diary-what-ive-been-playing-march-2012","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/badreputation.org.uk\/2012\/04\/11\/gamer-diary-what-ive-been-playing-march-2012\/","title":{"rendered":"[Gamer Diary] What I’ve Been Playing… March 2012"},"content":{"rendered":"

March was a big one in the world of gaming and not just because of the titles that came out. Here in the UK there’s been other big news that I’d be somewhat remiss not to mention, so please forgive me if I veer slightly away from a simple account of what I’ve been up to. So today I’ll be talking (briefly) about Mass Effect 3<\/strong> and the Xbox Kinect<\/strong> but I’ll also wander into the murky world of the financial crisis and its impact on gamers cruising the high streets.<\/p>\n

First off: the games. \u00a0Obviously there\u2019s Mass Effect 3<\/strong>, but as I’ve mentioned before, there will be a full post dedicated to that shortly. \u00a0For now, though, I’ll say that it’s a great addition to anyone\u2019s collection: well-constructed story, superb combat mechanics, good graphics and generally an absorbing and engaging universe. \u00a0The ending(s) have caused issues among some fans of the franchise, and although I shan\u2019t say here what they were or why that is, I\u2019ll just say that I<\/em> had no problem with the way it ended.<\/p>\n

\"an<\/a>Better then that we talk about the Kinect<\/strong><\/a>. \u00a0I got one at the beginning of March and a few little games to go along with it. \u00a0Kinect Adventures<\/strong> is the title that comes with every single sensor (if you\u2019re buying second-hand, be sure to check!) and it is a simple bit of fun. \u00a0You use your body to complete little challenges on the screen, collect points and progress through various ranks of adventurer. \u00a0It’s a little bit addictive when you first get the Kinect as it\u2019s all very new and novel and amazing, but in the long run it would probably hold the attention of younger gamers or be best suited to family-centred gaming sessions.<\/p>\n

I also got Kinect Sports<\/strong> (the first game), which proved much more popular between my partner and I. \u00a0You get the option to partake in six different events: Football (Soccer), Bowling (10-pin), Table Tennis, Track & Field (which contains six events in itself), Boxing and Beach Volleyball. \u00a0Again, this is a great bit of fun and you can use it for a spot of exercise as well. \u00a0You can play against four levels of computer opponent, as well as playing against your friends (or with them) online or in the same room. \u00a0You garner points and progress towards Champion status, but really it\u2019s all about the amusement and the potential for collective gaming.<\/p>\n

There are another two Kinect games knocking about my living room, but I didn\u2019t want to talk about them as they don\u2019t have the rather pleasing feature I\u2019m about to detail. \u00a0The Kinect games that use your Xbox Avatar in-game (especially in Sports) are also populated with lots of other Avatar people as your opponents or team-mates. \u00a0Now, this may not sound altogether too ground-breaking or interesting, but for me it was quite nice to see a fairly equal mix of – albeit randomly generated – Avatars of all descriptions. \u00a0In simpler terms, they aren\u2019t all male. \u00a0Even on team sports that are traditionally ‘single sex’ sports (like football) you have men and women of all ages charging about the pitch with you. \u00a0I thought that was a nice little nod – particularly for games that will have a lot of younger, more impressionable gamers – just to say \u201cHey, women exist too!\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
\nNow for the depressing stuff. \u00a0The company Game<\/strong> went belly-up<\/a> in March and already my local Gamestation<\/strong> (part of the group) has been stripped bare and locked up tight, never to be set foot in again. \u00a0I admit I rarely bought anything from Game or Gamestation, but as the last notable games-only high street chain, it’s sad to see it fail. \u00a0As a PC gamer at heart, I felt the group had forgotten about me over the years as it focused more on console gamers – and that\u2019s fair enough if that\u2019s where the money is – but apparently that didn\u2019t bring in enough revenue to save them.<\/p>\n

Things were not helped when EA<\/strong> refused to supply the group with copies of Mass Effect 3<\/strong> on credit and they had to give everyone who had pre-ordered their money back. \u00a0Even a few days before they closed up shop, the Gamestation I usually wander around was begging for trade-ins of the title as not a single brand new copy was in sight. \u00a0I suspect this may have been the last straw for many customers, but the advent of the internet worked its evil glory too: after all, if you can buy a two-week-old title for \u00a315 on Amazon<\/strong> when it remains \u00a330+ in a high street store, why would<\/em> you go that extra mile and pay more?<\/p>\n

It is, nevertheless, a little saddening to see the group suffer the same fate as many other high street names. \u00a0Should they remain, in one form or another, I hope they can take a more competitive stance on the price war with the internet and stop pricing themselves out of the market. Game’s statement<\/a> has more detail on the immediate results of their entry into administration. <\/p>\n

\"cover<\/p>\n

One final word…<\/h3>\n

Coincidentally, a couple of days before Game was declared a financial black hole, my partner bought himself Skate 2<\/strong>. \u00a0You may remember January’s Gamer Diary, where I mentioned<\/a> watching him play Skate<\/strong> and lamented that there were zero lady-boarders. \u00a0Well, in the second instalment, there are<\/em> girls flying around on boards, and you can also choose to be one. \u00a0Super! \u00a0Also, the mechanics and graphics are much improved. \u00a0It has, however, to me been dubbed \u2018Skate 2 AKA \u201cShut up, Reda!<\/em>\u201d\u2019. \u00a0Don\u2019t worry if you don\u2019t know who Reda is; all you need to know is he talks too much.<\/p>\n

Next Time<\/h3>\n

I\u2019ll be honest: I don’t yet know what the remainder of April will bring for me. \u00a0Never fear! \u00a0I will locate juicy content for you and in the meantime you’ll soon be able to read all about what I made of ME3<\/strong> at last.<\/p>\n