InvertY.com
A Gaming Diary
Just Cause 2 (360)
Apr 14th
Bah. My pet theory was that the bizarre accents seen in the demo of Just Cause 2 were because the makers of the game didn’t want it to be set anywhere geographically specific, so had used different styles of architecture and weird voices to try and make sure things were set in some fuzzy fantasy dictatorship.
One of the first lines of dialogue in the opening cut scene, though, tells us that the game’s meant to be set in south east Asia. So bang goes that theory and any excuse there may have been for some of those voices.
However, voices aside, there’s really nothing to complain about so far. The demo did an excellent job of introducing things and the full game hasn’t disappointed me at all in the three and half hours I’ve played so far. There’s all the action and unexpected, laugh-out-loud explosive carnage that I could wish for. I’ve done some missions, but I keep getting distracted by the tempting army bases and airports scattered around.
I’m just glad that I’m not someone who feels the need to fully complete games. Getting one hundred percent completion on this would take a long, long time – and the weakest moments in the game are where you’re walking round an area trying to find the last destructible object you need to complete it.
How long it’ll last before it starts to get a bit a stale I don’t know, but I do know that it won’t be soon.
Back Home
Apr 13th
Right, I’m back in the UK, so should start updating this blog again soon. There’s jet lag, unpacking, a mountain of post and everything to contend with, so it may not be tomorrow, but I’ll try to get back to it before long.
If you’ve any interest in seeing what I did on my holiday, my lovely wife has blogged about our trip HERE.
On Holiday
Mar 18th
Off on holiday to the US for three weeks from tomorrow so see the in-laws, so I doubt I’ll be posting much, if at all, until the middle of April.
Earth Vs Moon (iPhone)
Mar 18th
Polished and playable Missile Command game with lots of nice variety and a well-stocked shop for upgrades. I picked it up for free a while back but hadn’t played it until last night.
It doesn't just ape Missile Command...
It starts off nice and easy, easing you in and teaching what you need to know – without being too dull, thankfully – but the challenge soon ramps up. Soon enough you’re not just playing Missile Command, but Space Invaders and even Pong. Sort of.
Good game, good game.
Earthworm Jim FREE (iPhone)
Mar 18th
How do I get those guns?
Hmm. Looks lovely and I have fond memories, but I can’t remember how to play – what’s the head whip actually for – and I miss the jump button more often than is comfortable. Even at 59p, I think I’ll give the full version a miss. Might be a different story if the game had decent help of any sort.
Street Fighter IV (iPhone)
Mar 18th
I’ve completely run out of things to say about this. All I do it is start it up, play a couple of fights as Blanka, then turn it off again. That’s it. But I do it a lot.
You wouldn't like him when he's blurry.
I think this game is probably up there with Chinatown Wars and Orbital as the very, very best the iPhone has to offer, even now, before the inevitable DLC.
Words With Friends (iPhone)
Mar 18th
I know, I know, I’ve not blogged about this for ages – but I have been playing it. More than any other game, at least in terms of number of times I start the app.
Why wouldn't it let me play BITCH?
So, no, I’ve not got bored of it. It’s even still sitting in my dock. It’s special like that.
Street Fighter IV (iPhone)
Mar 17th
Oof!
For a game that’s pretty lacking in content, I’ve played this an awful lot. I can’t seem to stop. I’m not even going for new best times or doing missions in the dojo – I’m just playing the game for the sheer joy of it.
Aftermath (iPhone)
Mar 17th
Standing by my first impressions on this – it’s a fine, fine game.
There's a nice variety of guns in the game.
Bit of an odd difficulty curve. Level three is pretty hard, then the next few levels are cakewalks, then you get to a level where you have to survive for three minutes and it’s like hitting a brick wall. A fun brick wall, but a brick wall nonetheless.
Aftermath (iPhone)
Mar 16th
Top-down, Left For Dead-style single player game. Given it a good 45 minutes of play or so, sat at my desk and in the waiting room at the dentist.
It’s really rather good, actually, and well worth the launch price of 59p based on what I’ve played.
You’re a little chap with a pistol (most of the time) and you follow the guide-arrow through the levels to get to a waypoint, trying to avoid being munched on by endlessly-respawning zombies on the way. The levels are very dark, so you need to need use your torch to light them up – your character automatically fires at any zombies within the torch light.
Yeah, it's another zombie game. Don't let it put you off.
All the way it’s raining and there’s lightning, which lights up the level for a second and can show you a lot of zombies you hadn’t noticed. Panic stations and all that.
It all works – the controls are pretty much perfect – and it’s very atmospheric. Hard too, after the first couple of levels. I’m on the third level now and gradually getting better as I explore the place and find my around. (The guide-arrow points in a straight line and the maze-like city doesn’t often let you go in one, so there’s a fair amount of exploring to do.)
There’s the odd rough edge – shadows are simple boxes and I glitched through a door once – but they don’t take away from the fact that this is a very impressive game.
Don’t seem to be too many levels, but it looks like the last one is a Survival mode, which is nice – and there are OpenFeint high scores.
Given the cheap price, I reckon it’s well worth a look, based on first impressions.
