Talking to Strangers

I'm enjoying Red Dead Redemption, but I find the cut-scenes way too long. I've been skipping them so much that I no longer have any grasp of the story. I'm a bloke on a horse with lots of things to do. That's it. I still have a lot of fun, but it's not the same as being gripped by the story AND enjoying the gameplay.

I started to think about games where I haven't skipped the cut-scenes at all, and realised that they were few and far between. And so begins another set of themed posts - my top three games with show-stopping cut-scenes. In no particular order...

#1



Oddworld Stranger's Wrath was THE game that got me back into gaming. The story totally drew me in and I was so invested in the character of Stranger, that it just wasn't possible to skip even a second of a cut-scene. I laughed. I cried. And when I wasn't talking to townsfolk, who just happened to be chickens, I was hoping there was another cut-scene around the next corner.

Horseplay #2

A little while ago I had a traumatic experience while playing Red Dead Redemption. Actually, I haven't played since. It involved an attempted good deed, a stolen horse and a very steep drop. Perhaps I should start from the beginning... 

I'd been playing poker for some time and needed something to take my mind off the fact that I'd lost all of my money. Something to do... Something to do... As luck would have it there was a guy outside the saloon who'd just had his horse stolen that very second. I was happy to help and galloped after the horse thief.

By the time I'd caught up with the thief and dispatched of him, I was miles from town and had a long ride ahead of me to return the horse to its rightful owner. A shortcut was clearly in order and I decided to return to town as the crow flies and ignore the designated path. Big mistake.

Next thing I know, the horse and I are flying off the edge of a cliff. You may not be able to lead a horse to water and make it drink, but if you lead a horse to a cliff edge, it will totally just carry on galloping.

I survived the fall relatively unscathed, but the rescued horse lay in a crumpled heap on the floor. I felt terrible and walked over to the horse in the vain hope that maybe he was okay. And that's when the terrible thing happened... I accidentally skinned my horse. In my shocked state I pressed the Y-button to get back on, but ended up SKINNING it. The horror.

I am possibly the worst good samaritan in the world.

It's taken me a little while to come to terms with what happened that day. But I think I'm ready to go back now. Those of you who read my earlier blog post may remember that this isn't the first time I've had a bad horse experience. Hopefully, I'll still be allowed to have a horse in light of my previous history. If not, look out for me - I'll be the cowgirl power walking everywhere. 

Trying to infiltrate the mansion? Me? Never!

Sam Fisher is the epitomy of stealth. At least he was until the latest instalment of Splinter Cell - anybody else have to stifle a giggle when given mission instructions for the first time? It's hard to be stealthy when someone projects your intentions onto the side of a building...

Seriously, what next? Third Echelon-issue shoes with extra squeakiness? An ear piece that plays 'la cucaracha' whenever somebody wants to talk to you? Sam Fisher, I will always love you, but if they call the next game, Splinter Cell: I'm over here!, then I might pass.

Horseplay

Once you've been gaming for a couple of years, you can start to feel like you know what's coming next when you pick up a new game. If you stumble across a massive stash of weapons and ammo, you can guarantee you're just about to enter a room full of enemies. If you meet a supposedly immortal nasty boss creature, he's almost certainly got a very small, but curiously exposed weak spot. I thought I had games all figured out. Until yesterday...

I'd been playing Red Dead Redemption long enough to work out the general status quo. If someone's wandering around looking distraught/troubled/scared/bloody/alone, then they are in need of assistance. Once helped they will give you some kind of reward, either monetary or treasure map-related. This was my thinking when I got off my horse to help a young woman in the middle of nowhere.

Then something jaw-droppingly left-field happened. She jumped on my horse, called me 'green' and galloped off into the distance. I was so shocked I had to pause the game and make a cup of tea. Shocked AND delighted all at the same time. Both annoyed, and entertained by the fact that the game had managed to totally surprise me.

But, now to the important part of this post. If you see this woman, do not trust her. Do not be distracted by the fact that she's wearing bloomers, or concerned by the fact that she's wandering around in the middle of nowhere in the searing heat (with no sun hat) - SHE IS TROUBLE.

Sightseeing in Paris

I was considering going to Paris for Easter, but for various reasons (mostly because the Eurostar is so ridiculously expensive unless you book a year in advance), I ended up staying home with the Xbox.  As luck would have it, the next game on my 'Must play soon' list, The Saboteur,  is set in Paris. Here are some snapshots from my weekend of virtual sightseeing.

Me next to the Eiffel Tower. It rained quite heavily on my first day in Paris - I was lucky to find another tourist on the roof of this building who was happy to take my picture.

Me base jumping from the Eiffel Tower. I forgot to take my bag off! Fortunately my mobile phone made it through in one piece.

Me driving to Le Havre to find somewhere nice for a pub lunch.

In love with a loading screen

It's official - I'm about two-thirds into Bioshock 2 and I'm not blown away. While it's all very nice to return to Rapture, I don't feel like I'm doing anything new. Probably because in gameplay terms, I'm not (aside from killing annoying little sisters).

Still, there's a good chance I'll still end up finishing the game... largely because I'm in love with the loading screens.



There are the reasons why:

1. 1940's music is great.

2. You're allowed to choose when you continue playing.

Of course, the problem is that I might just leave the loading screen on for a very long time.

Mad with Moxxi

Borderlands was one of my favourite games of last year, so much so that I had almost completed the game 100%. Until they started releasing DLC that is. While I'm happy to pay for extra content, what annoys me is that the new achievements show up in your achievement list even if you don't download the extra content. It makes it really hard to resist spending your microsoft points.

This wasn't such a terrible thing when it came to Zombie Island. I was happy to wander around collecting zombie brains and then more braaaaaaains, while continuing to work towards 100% achievment completion. But Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot was a different story. As I was being mauled for the millioneth time, I realised with horror that I would never be able to tick all the achievement boxes. Leaving me extremely annoyed that I'd been cajoled into buying DLC that then made it ridiculously hard to get the achivements (the main reason I bought it).

This leaves me with a dilemma - should I download the latest 'Secret Armory' content? Am I annoyed enough at Mad Moxxi to make me boycott the next DLC? Possibly. Possibly not. If Mad Moxxi agrees to put down the loud hailer and stop telling me I'm rubbish, we might just make up and put this whole terrible affair behind us.

Answers on a postcard...

The other day I was reading 360 magazine and came across a competition to win a copy of Metro 2033. Being a bit of competition fanatic, I was all set to email in my entry... but to my surprise, you have to POST your entry. You have to actually send in your answer on a postcard. Crazily retro.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still going to enter. I'll just expect my prize to be delivered by a carrier pigeon, or perhaps a postman riding a penny farthing...

Top Five Game Sounds #1

So what's number one? Well, for me, it's a sound that gives me goosebumps, while at the same time giving me the confidence to sneak up on big, burly guys, silently take them down and dump them in a rubbish bin where the body will never be found...

Game: Splinter Cell

Sound created by: Night vision goggles
Sound: Whirrr...

I'm a big fan of the Splinter Cell series (particularly the night vision goggles), so was particularly upset to read the following blurb on the soon-to-be-released Splinter Cell: Conviction -

'Sam Fisher can no longer rely on his trusted bag of tools and iconic goggles. He's gone beyond being a double agent. Now he's a fully fledged fugitive without the intel of 3rd Echelon or the support of his friends. Those custom gadgets can't be found at your local hardware store.'

Excuse me? Does this mean there won't be night vision goggles? I don't think I could bear it. And anyway, while 'those custom gadgets' might be tricky to find at your local hardware store, somebody should tell Sam Fisher that you can get a fully functional pair of goggles as part of the prestige edition of Call of Duty: MW2.

Top Five Game Sounds #2

Time for an old-skool entry in the top five. Because frankly - who doesn't love Sonic? Well, possibly not Dr Robotnik and people that work at Nintendo. Anyway, second place in this countdown of top game sound effects, goes to...

Game: Sonic the Hedgehog
Sound created by: Collecting gold rings
Sound:  Kerching!

I spent around 80% of my childhood collecting those sparkly gold rings. The other 20% was spent forming an intense hatred of rock, paper, scissors, courtesy of Alex Kidd. I particularly enjoyed collecting rings in a loop the loop (see above) or in the snakey high-speed tunnels.

Losing rings was hearbreaking, especially when followed by death. Very similar to the feeling of losing studs in any of the Lego games. GET THE BLUE ONE! Sorry, where was I? The sound of gold rings being collected by a blue hedgehog, that's right. A truly iconic gaming sound... but not the number one. Think you can guess what it is? Add a comment below...

Little Sister visits Sydney Aquarium

Or, more accurately, 2K Games hire a model to dress up in a Little Sister costume and do a promotional photoshoot for the release of Bioshock 2...

I now know what I'm wearing to my next fancy dress party... I do like the photos, but somehow they don't really seem to capture the surreal creepiness of Rapture. Maybe it's because I can practically see the Sydney Aquarium gift shop reflected in the tank.

There are more pics on the 2K site here - http://www.2kgamesinternational.com/au/news/2010/02/18/little-sister-photoshoot