back to article Ten... new games you may have missed

Following a fairly quiet January in the world of videogames, the release schedule picked up and publishers started to push hordes of titles to the shop front again, minus those ever-depleting shelves at Game, of course. Here's a collection of ten you may have missed over the past couple of months that have certainly kept my …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Journey

    The killer game in this list.... Easily outclassing titles 4x it's price.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Journey

      Journey has one problem working against it which is replay value. On that account it scores even less than its predecessor Fl0wer because once you're done (got all the items in all levels and all trophies) then you're done. No matter how you play it you'll always end up doing the exact same things in the exact same order. Even certain icky situations cannot be avoided and will keep on happening.

      It looks awesome, that's for sure, and the experience is also stunning. But if I had to pay 4 times the price for it then I'd demand my money back because then I consider myself being ripped off.

  2. flearider
    Gimp

    consol fanboys

    1 pc title ?? really the reg selling advertising space amongst its well writen articles now ?

    1. E_Nigma
      WTF?

      Re: consol fanboys

      I don't think that this was payed for advertising, but I agree, one PC title?! Ask yourselves, are your readers reading this on PS3s, Xbox 360s or on their PCs? And is The Register a general technology web site or a specialized console gaming "publication"? The answers should provide you with a clue if there might be a platform that's fairly relevant to your readership that you've seriously neglected in this article.

      1. FreeTard

        Re: consol fanboys

        I'd have thought most people play games on consoles and use PC's for productivity.

        I find it quite surprising that anyone would bother with PC games.

        And no, I don't read the reg or any other site on my PS3.

        So what's wrong with advertising/reviewing console games on El-Reg? I welcome it.

        1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
          Meh

          Re: consol fanboys

          >2012

          >Playing on console

          Enjoy crappy graphics and controls made for illiterate soviet peasants with bilateral frostbite.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: consol fanboys

            Just judge everything based on Xbox and multi-platform titles.

            Not all console games are like that.

          2. Anonymous Coward
            Pint

            Re: Console fanboys

            I used to be like you. Years ago.

            Used to laugh at the consolers with the SNESs, Megadrives, Saturns etc. and spend all of my disposable income on upgrading my PC just to play the latest games.

            8MB RAM needed?

            CD Drive needed?

            32MB RAM needed?

            Pentium 2 needed?

            Voodoo needed?

            Voodoo 2 needed?

            Voodoo 2 SLI needed?

            Voodoo 3 needed?

            I then found myself with a then-top spec PC, but no money, and no guarantee that tomorrow's game would require me to spend yet more money on components.

            I got sick of this.

            I also came to the realisation that the productivity that I required could occur on a mid spec PC. So I stopped constantly upgrading. I went out with my disposable income got a social life, used cars as my new moneypit hobby, but also got back into console gaming as a means of gaming.

            Initial fixed hardware cost and guaranteed to work with every game designed for it. Can use it on the big TV instead of sitting at a computer desk all night.

            Sure I've been impressed by high spec PC setups (seeing Crysis for the first time was an eye opener) but I'm happy with the output the Xbox 360 gives me on the HDTV, and using my self built couple of hundred quid desktop and work laptop for getting stuff done.

            1. mark 63 Silver badge

              sir wiggum

              yeah but , sir Wiggum,

              1) and most importantly - you cant play FPS with a mouse on an xbox (those addons dont work)

              2) you monopolise the family TV

              3) other people monoploise the TV when you wnt to watch it

              4) you cant customise the games

              1. mark 63 Silver badge
                Thumb Up

                Re: sir wiggum

                apart form that tho very good pointS!

              2. Anonymous Coward
                Anonymous Coward

                Re: sir wiggum

                Good points yourself Mark 63.

                True some games (I'm thinking Sim City / Civilisation style games) may not be better on a console controller than a mouse. Maybe I have a crap mouse, but I am of a rare breed that is better at FPSs on a controller than a keyboard+mouse :) (And I find Skyrim intuitive enough on the controller too)

                The living room TV is a bit of an issue admittedly, gaming on this occurs usually late night or when I can get the TV!

                Otherwise I have a VGA adaptor for the Xbox, and can hoof it into the computer room and play there.

                And game customisation is another good point. I remember doom levels, 3rd party carset models for Papyrus Nascar (I used to run a Toca2 skins site) etc. but these days I barely get time to get through the games as is, never mind the (£££) DLC or 3rd party mods.

            2. flearider

              Re: Console fanboys

              i'm glad your happy with your 360.. but i only upgrade every 4 yrs or so ..so cost is'nt the issue

              and for what you pay for the box, controller,kinetic and the extra you pay for games i'm still in the lead ..

              and if you want to put a pc on a 50 inch as i do you can ..(well unless the wifes watching it ..lol.. then it's on a 32..)

              1. Anonymous Coward
                Anonymous Coward

                Re: Console fanboys

                Good points flearider.

                4 years is a fair time to wait between upgrades, surely though this length of time would be equivalent to a "PC generation" so would require a fairly hefty upgrade list?

                I didn't get the Xbox until GTA4 was out, and got it plus the game for £200 a few years ago.

                A PC upgrade for that cost a few years ago would be a laughable spec now.

                (I'm not into the kinetic as I was also offered a chep 2nd hand Wii, but did buy a £10 VGA adaptor and a £3 HDMI lead)

                Games can be expensive, I usually either wait until they come down in price or get them pre-owned.

                Yep I've plugged a PC into the TV before to use as a media centre, but presumably traditional keyboard + mouse gaming PCs are still desk jobs? (when I get home from work, I don't want to see another desk :) )

    2. a_been

      Re: consol fanboys

      The numbers tell the story. Console gaming is where the money is, not only in revenue but in development expenditure. If el Reg covers gaming it will be console heavy simply because thats where the action is.

      1. ThomH

        Re: consol fanboys

        If I dare stick my head above the parapet, I reckon more El Reg readers are likely to be interested in mobile games than in console or PC games. My reasoning being that the percentage of readers who don't own a smart phone of some variety is going to be significantly less than those that use Linux or Mac and mobile games are almost always multi-format whereas PC games are almost always exclusively for Windows (albeit sometimes with a Mac port a little later).

        Conversely, if El Reg are listing the ten games worth playing but most easily overlooked then I'd actually have expected the minority platforms to be better represented. You're more likely to miss a game on a lesser used platform.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          FAIL

          Re: consol fanboys

          Mobile games are mostly shite.

          What I still find staggering is the sheer number of people that think a £1 mobile game can be compared to a £40 console game...

          About the only thing worth playing on Mobile is PvZ....

          1. mark 63 Silver badge

            Re: £1 mobile game

            I bet you could by an implementation of Chess on a mobile for a pound - a game that has never lost its value and has been played by millions of people for thousands of years.

            Whereas the latest tatcal ops/ special forces / black ops/ play soldiers fps shooter may have had 40 million spent mainly on voice actors , graphic textures and map layouts , but at the end of the day its a shooter people will have forgotton in a year,

            ....and played through in a month if there even is a single player element

            And if its console only its waste of time because all PC owners know the only way to play fps is with a mouse! :P

      2. P. Lee
        Paris Hilton

        Re: consol fanboys

        The money isn't important. Limbo, World of Goo, Valve games are all brilliant. Steam sales are fantastic for picking up bits you've missed. CoD:BlOps was a huge disappointment - I won't be going there again. Massive dev costs may make a spectacular game, but not necessarily a fun game.

        Please tell me el reg isn't covering console games just because they cost 30-100% more than their PC counterparts!

      3. Euchrid

        @ a_been

        "The numbers tell the story. Console gaming is where the money is, not only in revenue but in development expenditure. If el Reg covers gaming it will be console heavy simply because thats where the action is."

        There were quite a few stories towards the end of last year that were suggesting console revenue (both hardware and software) was stagnating, whereas PC gaming revenue was on the up.

        Some of these stories related to research by Ignite (see http://ignitegt.com/2011/09/pc-vs-console/), which claimed PC gaming revenue is now higher than consoles. That does include social networking games (e.g. Farmville) and MMOs.

        The increase in digital distribution has been a massive boost to PC gaming something that’s helped the marked increase of well-received indie games.

        Although it’s early days with Kickstarter funding, that Wasteland 2 and Double Fine’s new adventure were so quickly financed in this way, could mean an interesting way of getting development money. (There’s no reason why someone wanting to make a console game couldn’t get finance in a similar way, obviously.)

        Looking at the numbers and how the industry has been changing, I’m not convinced that the action really is just with the consoles.

  3. Si 1
    Thumb Up

    Binary Domain

    It's great to see Binary Domain in the list, I think it's quite the underrated gem, mixing elements of Terminator with Gears of War and a small dollop of Mass Effect character interaction. To be honest after the bad taste the Mass Effect 3 ending left in my mouth this is the game I've gone back to replay again.

    Despite having very cliched seeming characters, the sci-fi story on offer actually asks some interesting questions about what it means to be human or a robot and where the line between the two is drawn...

    1. 1Rafayal

      Re: Binary Domain

      Agreed, it is as good as Vanquish, another vastly underrated game.

      1. auburnman

        Re: Binary Domain

        I dunno - I loved Vanquish, but the characters in Binary Domain seemed schizophrenic at best. Frequently they would run in front of me while I was shooting bad guys and then have a go at me like it was my fault. Also at seemingly random points they would call me an unprofessional screwup. Presumably something happened to them while I was killing baddies in the other direction, but all you get is the opportunity to apologise or tell them to F' off. Without knowing why they're mad, it all seemed a little pointless. Especially since after a few firefights they're your best mate again anyway.

        Still, at least they don't turn on you in the third act and suddenly reveal they had rocket-hoverskates the whole time...

  4. Yobgod Ababua
    Thumb Down

    Yeah...

    ...totally didn't miss them because I don't have a PS3 or XBox.

    Only one PC game, and no handhelds? Really? I spit on your consoles. *Ptui*

  5. Kyoraki

    Um, about that Silent Hill HD collection...

    I wouldn't put my hopes up too high if I were you. Buggier than an average day at the beach, and the art director for the first three games says it looks like garbage, and should never have been released.

    Sorry.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    You lost all credibility

    When you said that JASF was a sim.

    1. Annihilator

      Re: You lost all credibility

      +1

      In their defence though, "Jane's" was previously synonymous with flight sims. Not entirely sure why they decided to tarnish that reputation by launching JASF but I nearly fell for it when I saw it in a shop - almost purchased it but stopped to check reviews.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: You lost all credibility

        I hate flight sims so the arcade method of jasf is far more to my liking.

  7. Nikola
    WTF?

    "Ten CONSOLE Games I might have missed"

    Cover and write about whatever you want, but at least don't get us excited with misleading titles ;)

    There's life beyond PS3/Xbox, y'know!

  8. Citizen Kaned

    worms 3d

    has just been re-released again

    much more depth than 2d and only a tenner on the SEN/PSN. well worth it.

    me and the wife were playing it a lot this weekend.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: worms 3d

      Worms 3d was a travesty and the less said of it the better, if you need a 3d comedy blowing them up game get hogs of war.

      1. Citizen Kaned

        Re: worms 3d

        fair enough. we find it fun. its had a few updates and tweaks since the ps2 version.

        we used to play the ps2 version but when i got my ps3 replaced it wouldnt play the ps2 games any more.

        i think it adds much more variety to worms, which ive enjoyed for many years.

    2. NomNomNom

      Re: worms 3d

      The 3Dification of games that happened about 10 years ago is one of my pet peeves. That was around the boom time of PC gaming in my opinion and since then it's gone downhill (again, in my opinion) and I can't help suspect it has some of the blame.

      Prior to that only FPS were in 3D. RTS and various other games were usually in 2D (I am thinking of games with great gameplay like red alert, Z, lemmings, sim city). Then all of a sudden, because technology had improved I guess, new versions of games started boasting being in 3D.

      Graphically it wasn't that great. The technology like shaders either didn't exist or was too new (I can't remember) and so all games were sharing a common graphics pipeline and so visually they tended to look very similar. I also think a little more love went into the artwork for 2D sprites at the time compared to 3D models.

      Worse was the performance impact. There was pressure to throw in all the 3D bells and whistles and as a result it really sucked on the performance and if you turned the graphics down...well now it looks a LOT worse than 2D.

      And worse still was the impact on gameplay (gameplay is king). Because of the performance hit from the graphics devs often scaled down parts of the game. Eg smaller maps (sim city), less units (RTS games). Then there were all manner of bugs caused by 3D which the devs probably hadn't realized would happen and couldn't fix in time. Occlusion problems with the cameras and pathfinding getting botched by 3D terrain.

      I suspect that this wave of utter garbage games was responsible for various genres losing popularity. Notice how dominant FPS and FPRPG are today? Games that thrive in 3D.

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