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).

Beyond: Two Souls - Some positive thoughts

One day someone’s going to get it spot on. Someone’s going to realise the sheer mechanical potential of gaming and mix it perfectly with stunning production values and first-rate, cinematic story telling. Beyond: Two Souls is not that game, and it was never going to be. It’s far too much of a gameplay-deprived, oddly-presented piece to do that. But at some point - perhaps even in the next generation - someone will finally crack the code of AAA story telling of this level meeting the genius of a game like Dark Souls or Spelunky. For now, Beyond is a sample of what could be, a window shopping experience for a new age of interaction. And, for my money, it’s a pretty interesting experiment.

Jak, Daxter and the fat fisherman

There’s a rope bridge that rests at the entrance to the Forbidden Jungle. It hangs loosely, as you’d expect any such crossing residing in any such abandoned area to do. There are a fair few boards missing and it creaks and tussles worryingly as you first step onto it. Even more terrifying – as you cross the mid-way point, you’ll hear the bridge sigh.

Hang on.

20 of Vita's best

Thanks to an almost weekly stream of downloadable gems and several 60+ hour epics, I have a bit of trouble keeping up with everything there is to play on Vita. For a system that’s meant to be dying of software drought, I feel oddly spoilt for choice when I flick through the PS Store for something new to play.

What I have here, then, is the 20 of my favourite games that the platform has bestowed upon me in its year and a half lifespan. There’s no Persona (!), no Hotline Miami (!!) and no, not even any Spy Hunter (!!!) because I simply haven’t gotten to those titles yet (I won’t actually be playing that last one). Let’s take a look:

ZombiU stumbles upon greatness

The biggest irony about ZombiU is that it’s a terrible launch game. Its bold mix on Souls-inspired ideas make for one of the better zombie games of the current generation but an absolute mess of an introduction to the Wii U gamepad. The pressure of permadeath hangs in the air during every desperate struggle, which is the last thing you need while you’re struggling to (literally) get to grips with this huge lump of plastic. The haze of panic that engulfs you as you slam your thumb into the screen, mindlessly squabbling to get some space between you and the undead makes for something of a headache at first. But, hey, isn’t that what it’s all about?

Unearthed: The Trail of Ibn Battuta is special

I’m not entirely sure which of the first 30 seconds of Unearthed: The Trail of Ibn Battuta was the exact one that I realised I was in for something special. Perhaps it was after I witnessed its wooden-faced, questionably-trousered protagonist take down an enemy with what can only be described as a series of sharp kicks to the groin, or after landing my first headshot with my hand stuck through a wall. Actually, no, I’ve got it – it was when I threw a grenade down a hallway, watched it drop stone dead after scraping a wall, and then kill me as it blew up behind several layers of cover. Honestly, I meant special when I said it, just not the type you were thinking of.

The rights and wrongs with the Muse of today

Yesterday I saw a little-known English band by the name of Muse for the third time in as many years. It was a good show, filled with bold, fuzzy solos, stunning set production and vocals so high-pitched that the windows of the Emirates Stadium nearly shattered. In some respects, it was the best performance I’ve seen them put on in my admittedly short-lived fandom, but in the places that really matter, the stuff that makes for a memorable evening, it was lagging behind.

Why these game of the year candidates are not my candidates for game of the year but some are still good while like one is pretty terrible.

So 2012 has been a bit of a ho-hum year in the gaming realm. Somewhere in the deepest, darkest corners of my mind I’ve begun to possessedly mould and carve my top 10 games list into the vile, insane creature it was born to be, celebrating all the games that actually did something worthwhile this year, but there’ll be a few key experiences missing from said list. Time to get off my chest just which unfortunate beasts these are and why they failed to tame thumbs.

Review - Taken 2

On a professional scale, I know I wouldn’t make a very good film critic. Not because I lack the knowledge of the Kermodes or the know-how of Tarantinos, but because I almost always find some way to appreciate a movie. All it really takes is for some semblance of the will to please its audience and I can come away from most flicks pleased as punch. This year alone I’d have raved about Battleship’s hilarious self-aware humour amidst a dull blockbuster, or Lockout’s almost-parody of Bruce Willis films in a fantastically crap, straight-to-DVD-worthy flick. I’d have given Safe House fairly decent marks for the appearance of Ryan Reynolds alone.

PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale - Let's get obscure

At 20 characters strong it looks like the roster for PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale is rounding up, with a list that features third party favourites, Sony icons, and the weird cat thing. With each passing day it looks less and less likely that Crash Bandicoot will be joining the ranks of Raiden and Ratchet. We can only hope that there are still some surprises in store between now and the games November launch.

So here’s my picks of five obscure characters and five stages that SuperBot could really surprise me with. I don’t expect any of them to make it in there, though maybe one or two could replace Evil Cole in the sequel.

Review / Uncharted: Golden Abyss

Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune’s humble beginnings on PS3 were quickly dwarfed by the set-piece driven, adrenaline-fueled thrill ride of its sequels. And while the plane crashes and train tumblings of Among Thieves and Drake’s Deception have earned the series a spot on many a favourite game list, there’s still something to be said for the beautiful simplicity of Naughty Dog’s original adventure.

Batman: Arkham City Review - Yes gamer, you shall become a bat

Batman: Arkham Asylum was something of an approval form, it would seem. Despite its surprising level of quality, the story stuck to the formulaic; round up Bat-baddies until you get to the biggest of the bad. It played that aspect safe, and it was to good effect.

Crash (Bandicoot) And Me: The Naughty underdog that defined my childhood (aka: Screw you Sonic!)

Alright, well not screw Sonic. By all means, happy 20th Sonic, you've got a pile of all time greats beneath you (which, admittedly, are stacked upon a bigger pile of all time awfuls), let's hope there's more to come.

Whatever happened to the JRPG and does White Knight Chronicles: Origins have the answer?

The gaming industry, unlike any other entertainment industry, changes. With films, we will forever be looking forward to the next big blockbuster while keeping a special place in our hearts for the golden oldies. There's always space - and life - for a genre in the film industry.