A Gaming Diary
Archive for January, 2010
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (iPhone)
Jan 27th
So, is there any point in putting the “(iPhone)” bit in the title of the post now I’m using categories and all? I’ll have to ponder that.
Anyway, I had an immensely fun time with Chinatown Wars last night. I didn’t play for hours and hours, with just a relatively short play session, but I packed a lot in.
Not the best angle for a billboard jump, but it worked.
Mostly police chases, it has to be said. I kept being seen getting up to no good and got busted far too many times. Never much of an issue, though, and one of the busts led to me discovering a flamethrower rampage, so I’m rather grateful for that.
Set me on fire! Kerosene!
There’s something very satisfying about setting people and cars on fire and running past flaming gang members and exploding cars, watching your points tick up all the time. Maybe somewhere deep down I’m a pyromaniac, because this rampage was my favourite so far by quite a long way – even beating out the rocket launcher rampage I found the other day.
It’s the game that keeps on giving, it really is.
Words With Friends (iPhone)
Jan 26th
So, after installing WordPress, I didn’t have much time left for playing games.
Not the move I ended up making.
I made my moves in Words With Friends, but that was all.
Anyone got any idea why the image in this post is on the left, when it’s set to be centered?
EDIT: Seems to have been a problem with the theme I was using. I’ll try another.
Under Construction…
Jan 26th
Yes, I’m moving to WordPress. Please bear with me for a few hours or days while I sort it out.
Words With Friends (iPhone)
Jan 25th
So, yes, more Words With Friends over the weekend, along with the news that Blogger are stopping FTP support for publishing. This leaves me with two options, really. I can move over to WordPress – a lot of work – or move to a Google Custom Domain, which would mean the address of this blog changing to something like blog.inverty.com. I’m not very happy with either option, to be honest. I’ll keep you posted. Either way, I think you’ll need to update your RSS links to this blog at some point, if you read it that way.
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (iPhone)
Jan 25th
I think I only did one actual story mission over the weekend, but I did at least one side mission, too. I spent most of my time dealing drugs to get some more money – I’d lost it all and had to bankroll my first buy with a trip to the kart track, again – and poking around in dumpsters for weapons. I’ve marked all the locations I’ve found on my map for future reference, something I really should have done in the DS version.
GTA IV: The Lost and Damned (360)
Jan 25th
Finally finished off The Lost and Damned yesterday, after taking a break of many months. I was right near the end, so it didn’t take long. The Diamonds In The Rough mission took a few goes, but it was pretty much plain sailing after that.
The game does seem increasingly unfriendly – lack of mission checkpoints, having to go home to save manually – but the driving model is still great, the shooting still weighty and explosive and Liberty City is still an amazing place to visit. The sheer detail of it all is staggering.
Anyway, now the way is clear for some Gay Tony action at some point.
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (iPhone)
Jan 22nd
Highs and lows, my friends, highs and lows. The first bright spot was that I am actually able to play games again – ModNation Racers didn’t permanently put me off. I was quite able to spend an enjoyable half hour or so with Chinatown Wars today.
High and lows, though.
HIGH: Completed my first Unique Stunt Jump.
Okay, so the car ended up on its roof and I had to run away before it exploded, but I completed the jump. I love the way the camera goes all Matrix when you jump through a billboard. It’s a fantastic little effect.
HIGH: Shot down a police helicopter with an SMG.
I didn’t even realise you could do that, but I managed it. And then I ducked into my safe house and lost my wanted rating. Ha!
LOW: Lost all my money.
Yes, I lost all my money again, in another heroin deal gone bad. Up there you can see the hospital taking the last of my cash. I guess it’ll be back to the kart track for me. Or maybe I’ll actually do a mission or two.
ModNation Racers Beta (PS3)
Jan 22nd
No, seriously. The game made me sick. Okay, I didn’t actually vomit, but after one online race I felt like doing so. Not because it’s an awful game, but just because the framerate was absolutely terrible. I felt very, very ill after playing and had to turn off the console and couldn’t play anything else for the rest of the evening. Horrible.
Shame, as I like what I see, outside of the problems. It’s got nice customisation, a Puzzlings-esque art style and I rather enjoyed the time trial I tried, where the framerate was pretty bad, but not sickeningly so.
There’s definitely potential for a fun little kart racer, but only if the framerate’s improved enough so it doesn’t make me feel physically sick.
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (iPhone)
Jan 21st
CARNAGE!
RAMPAGE!
EXCITEMENT!
I had a fun lunchtime.
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (iPhone)
Jan 21st
Dealt some cheap heroin to get the $5,000 I needed to progress in the story. Took me a few – very careful – trips, but I got there easily enough. Now I have a new safehouse and have opened up more weapons to buy.
By far the best thing that happened last night was hijacking an Ammunation truck, though.
No, not that one. That one got away.
I found another one that I actually managed to get home and open. (Incidentally, I’m having trouble opening up trucks. It looks like I’ve cut through the doors okay, but the game doesn’t agree. Still, you can retry if you mess up, so it’s not a big deal.)
Inside was a flamethrower.
Much fun was had, in the thirty seconds or so it took me to run out of ammo, set myself on fire and die.
