Ho ho ho! And what does the Father Christmas of Gaming Till Disconnected bring in his bulging sack of goodies today? Why, it’s the Twelve Games of Christmas of course!
Over the next twelve days, I’ll be providing you with my gaming holidays, and the progress I’m making in each game I play in the run up to Christmas! I’ll also be answering any questions you may have, giving you tips on the relevant games, and hopefully give you a wholly good read!
Day 1 – Assassins Creed Brotherhood
When the PS3 first came out, Assassins Creed was probably the title I was most looking forward to. It reached new horizons unseen before in video games, as the adventure was deep and fresh. However, the first game also was monotonous and very “samey” throughout it’s entirety. The second game though drew much acclaim as it not only entered a new area of history (15th Century Italy), but also added far more features to the game, as opposed to the “get on horse-ride to destination-kill some dude-ride back” that marred the first edition. Now there were far more features, and the complex storyline began to form nicely. This continued on into Brotherhood, which built upon what AC II had done so so well, and is my first game of Christmas.
Truth is, I got Brotherhood last Christmas, and never really got round to sitting down and giving it a good crack until Easter, where I did about 50% of the game. I got the urge to do so today though, and after taking a few deaths to get used to the control system again, and remember just which Borgia I was trying to kill, I eventually finished the game! I really wanted to complete it, so that I could pick up Assassins Creed: Revelations in the January sales.
The story revolves once again around Desmond Miles, who is reliving the memories of his ancestors. In this case, it’s Ezio, an Assassin in a rather broken Rome, is looking to overthrow the Borgia family who are looking to eradicate the Assassin clan. Wait wait wait… Borgia? Wasn’t that the bad guy from AC II? It sure was, but this time, it’s his son who wants to control Rome. Daddy as Pope certainly doesn’t hinder him. I really enjoyed the game progressing and the story is wonderful. Personally, I can’t wait to get my hands on Revelations, so Santa, if you’re reading, take the hint!
Ho-ho-ho rating – 8/10
Day 2 – FIFA 12
Ah, a bit of a newer game. EA never fail to deliver with their yearly footballing title, but FIFA 12 is extra special. It’s gone to lengths that no football game has ever gone before, and is without a shadow of a doubt the most realistic football simulation ever. However… there are still those niggling little problems that continue to spoil the game. I mean, the AI at times are just ridiculous, and for my liking, the difficulty settings have changed too much. I consider myself to be pretty good at FIFA, and played on World Class/Legendary on FIFA 11. Now on FIFA 12? Professional is the best I can do. In career mode, I’ve ‘only’ won three titles in six seasons (1 with Man Utd, 1 with Lyon, 1 with Barca). Funny thing is, I go online, and I’m still pumping in the same results I was used to on the previous game.
Career mode though is my favourite. I used to play FIFA for the football, and the management part of the sport would be down to the undisputed king, Football Manager 2011. However, this year, FM 2012 is reportedly much the same (Eidos still need to send us a copy!). FIFA though is simply wonderful at covering this base, as you can now build teams with great freedom, nuture your youth, and wheeler-deal til your heart is content! Only issue though is that currently, Aguero, Kaka and Dzeko play for Stoke, and Newcastle have just splashed the cash on Nani. Hmmm…
However, for this article, I’ve decided to focus my efforts online. Ultimate Team is a wonderful feature, as it’s given the game depth and is alot of fun! However, I’m not the kind of guy to spend my hard earnt money on the off chance of getting a good player in a pack, and often find myself as the better player, but because he’s hacked some poor soul, he will win every time. Therefore, the new “Head to Head Seasons” mode is what took my fancy. Basically, you work your way up the divisions, with a set points target from every game for promotion and relegation. This has been one of the best new additions to the game, as it allows me to really show off my talents, and crucially, use any team I like. My record as it stands is 14 wins, 2 draws, 4 defeats (although I am battling severe lag), and I have just broken into division 7! Okay, I’m not Ksiolajidebt (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLQnHL5yOYU&list=UUVtFOytbRpEvzLjvqGG5gxQ&feature=plcp - he is the best commentator on Youtube right now), but I’m doing pretty well! Let’s see how far I can get. Target is division 5 by the New Year!
Ho-ho-ho rating – 9.5/10
Day 3 – F1 2011
Being a massive F1 fan, this was always going to be one of my most anticipated games of 2011, and one of my most played games since I bought it! F1 2010 was a fun-filled racer by Codemasters, but… there was something missing. A little extra spice and edge that was lacking to make it a truly great racer. Along comes 2011, with that extra something! However, they also took away a few of the features, and before the patch, F1 2011 was buggy and full of little errors. Even post patch, there are still issues with the game, but on the whole, it’s an extremely fun and action packed racer, doing good justice to the sport.
For me, there isn’t one mode which I always play in this game. I alternate greatly between the career mode, and playing online. Career mode is immersive and true to the sport, putting you in the seat of a rookie F1 driver. Throughout your career, you must work your way up through the ranks before clambering into a competitive car. Obviously, the assists are fully customisable, allowing even the most novice of racers to claim a victory! The only issue with the career mode is that it only allows you five seasons, which for someone such as myself simply isn’t long enough. However, there’s lots of replay value with this mode.
The game comes alive online though, as you can race up to 16 other human players at one on all of the circuits in the game. This deepens further for me, as I am part of an F1 2011 Ps3 League (go to www.f1gamers.com for more info). There will be extensive coverage of the league on GTD from now on, with race highlights and reports. I’m doing okay in my league, but thought I needed to get in a little bit of practise on Spa Francorchamps. The beast the circuit is, it was urging me to tame it. A little adjustment to the setup here and there, and I posted a rather nice lap time that put me in the top 200 or so on time trial! Very pleased, and looking forward to my weekends race.
My goal though was to go online and win a few races. I raced 3 lap sprints (where most of the racers are idiots), and won 5 races, before moving onto the custom GP, and my connection dropped! Disaster! However, I went back to career, and currently I lie 7th in the championship with Force India, an admirable effort I must say. The game though hasn’t once bored me as of yet, a full 3 months after it came out. Long may it continue!
Ho-ho-ho Rating – 9/10
Day 4 – Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Yes, I went old school today, back to where it all began a little closer to the present day. This was a time when Makarov was unheard of (although in on it all with Zakhaev), the controller didn’t vibrate at all, and our beloved Soap didn’t say a single word! Price’s first utterances still send shivers down my spine… “what kind of a name is Soap?”. Yes, COD4 was where the franchise really took off, as the multiplayer system was finally recognised for it’s true worth, and the intriguing campaign left us all in awe. It annoys me when 9 and 10 year olds pick up straight off from MW2 or MW3… I mean, come on! To truly love those games, you’ve got to have played COD4. I know that sounds a bit “old-man”-ish, but it’s true. My friend came round my house, and said “oh I’ve got this game you might wanna try, it’s great!”. I thought “pah-hah… sure mate, you’ve said that before…” – oh my god though how good was it!!
So a little bit of nostalgia surrounding this title. I mean, it’s hardly retro enough for Carl Padgham to review, but it sure does bring back alot of memories. For example (spoiler alert for MW3 coming up!!) – when Soap dies in the latest title, and Captain Price puts a pistol on his chest, why is that significant? Well, in COD4 (I refuse to call in MW1 – take a note 10 year olds), in the finale when Zakhaev is shooting Griggs and Gaz (who sounds strangely similar to Roach in MW2…), Price slides his pistol across to Soap, who then shoots the antagonist, thus ending his evil plans. Then, in MW2, when Soap storms the gulag and finds Price locked up, he hands it back to him, saying “I believe this is yours!”. Then, finally, when Soap dies, Price lays the very same pistol across his chest… heart wrenching stuff eh? But the point is, if you didn’t play COD4 (as many people haven’t), you wouldn’t understand the importance of the campaign! Rant over (phew.).
Did I play the multiplayer today? No I did not! Well… not because I wanted to relive the campaign… mainly because my BT line has been cut off, and I’m stuck with a dongle for my PC… anyway that’s besides the point. I just felt that I wanted to go back to the roots of the series, to where it all began. I wanted to crawl along Captain MacMillan in Chernobyl; storm the bog as Jackson; man the AC-130 (without damaging the church as I did… 11 times… ). I wanted to relive it all! I’m expecting MW3 from Father Christmas in 9 days time, but I’d love to complete COD4 and MW2′s campaigns before I do, just so I can appreciate the game. However, I must maintain that COD4 is still the best of the Call of Duty’s to date. This was the groundbreaker; the firestarter. Let me leave you with this. Without Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, there would be no MW2 or MW3, and the gaming world would probably be very, very different.
Ho-ho-ho rating – 9.5/10
Join me tomorrow for Day 5!!
Luke dude, you need to finish Brotherhood, AC:R takes everything good about Brotherhood. Adds a giant hook blade and bombs.
The story isn’t quite as gripping as Brotherhood, but its certainly a wonderful swansong for Ezio.
I was supposed to be reviewing it, but i couldn’t be objective enough about it. As i was writing i found myself ignoring all the bad parts so couldn’t do it fairly.