My Top 10 for 2014

I truly believe that videogames are on the brink of realising their full potential as the most diverse, expressive and creative medium on the planet. The key word in that sentence is ‘brink’; we’re not quite there yet.

My Top 10 Concerts

I love live music. I love it hard. From packed out stadiums to cramped pubs, there's no better way to spend a day/evening than dancing like a loon and singing along so loudly you can't talk afterwards. I've been to many, many gigs and have had some of the best experiences of my life at many of them. Picking my 10 favorite shows isn't easy, but there are a handful that stand out from the rest for one reason or another. Here they are (along with some extras I couldn't go without mentioning).

'Typically brilliant' - Left Behind, struggling with expectation and *that* scene

Note - Full SPOILERS for The Last Of Us and Left Behind are in this article

Imagine creating a body of work so critically acclaimed and universally loved that fans start referring to your craft as ‘typically brilliant’. Is that necessarily a good thing? Working to the exact standard expected of you, surprising no one with your latest display of mastery simply because everyone already knew it was going to be that way.

The JLMA's 2013

It's time for the JLMA's 2013.

Wait, what?

Pearl Jam - From Best to Worst

Anyone that follows my Twitter, has met me in person, or has basically traded any kind of contact with me, knows that I'm a Pearl Jam fan. It's all to a bit of an embarrassing degree, really, but I simply can't help myself.

Anyways, with the band recently releasing their 10th studio album and my heading to Seattle soon to see them (see?) I thought now as good a time as any to rank their studio albums from best to worst. Let's get started

The Platinum Problem

I have three games that I considered the absolute cream of the crop of this generation. They couldn’t be more different in terms of genre and gameplay, but they all share one blissfully simple trait – control. Dark Souls is a gruelling adventure that’s completely dictated by how you develop your character. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker is stealth at its most intense, giving you the final say on every aspect of the game.  And XCOM: Enemy Unknown? You decide everything from how a battle plays out to where you place your sick bay.

Even my current front-runner for Game of the Year, Soul Sacrifice, is all about handing the game's direction over to you.

In my heart of hearts I know that somewhere amidst this list there should be a Platinum game. The team comes from the exact same school of thought as the games mentioned above. Sure, the bulk of the studio’s portfolio consists of linear action adventures, but each one features a combat system tuned to a liberating degree of finesse. Within each system is the opportunity to learn, expand and master countless sets of combos and intricacies. The result is usually something that lets you squeeze the very top level of performance out of every fight, given the necessary dedication.  

SPOILERS: Arkham Origins and THAT twist

I want to touch one just one aspect of Arkham Origins right now. I’ve got plenty to say on it, the series, and my love/hate relationship with all three games, but right now, mid-playthrough, something’s struck an immediate chord with me.

Just another warning, there are some fairly big SPOILERS in this article, so don’t read until you’ve at least seen the big reveal in the early-ish stages (which is where I am right now).