What are the chances of the legendary Chrono Trigger coming out on the DS?

Maybe this little site might help boost them?

I know I keep saying to myself that I should really stop buying anymore games until I have at least completed a fair few out of my backlog. However, when presented with some deals, you really cannot pass them up. This was certainly the case when a collegue at work was offering Mass Effect for just £10. What a bargain. It's a shame though - Alone in the Dark just got pushed down my list of games to play, and I'm taking a break from Lost Odyssey now (and I was so close to completing it ).

Crisis Core is still going strong. I must be over half way through it, but I haven't been doing many of the side missions, so in all honesty I still have a lot yet to do. I hope to put up a review when I've finished at least the main story line, which has been excellent so far.

One of the hardest periods of trying not to buy games is coming up though - birthday time in three weeks. I need new clothes...(boring )

I managed to get the day of from work on Friday 20th June. Reason? Me and my brother went to see The Incredible Hule in Leeds. At the same time, two long awaited Limited Edition boxes also came out in Europe - Crisis Core and Alone in the Dark. I've had Crisis Core on preorder (the only way to get the special edition) since March this year, so a long wait was finally over. Alone in the Dark had to be picked up from Game in Leeds costing a large £50. But as the game itself was £39.99, you get a lot more for the extra £10. It was a bonus that my brother had his student card and a Game card too - I got an extra 10% off the game, so it was only £44.99 for me (which, incidently, is the price for JUST the game in HMV!)

So, impressions?

1. The Incredible Hulk was a great movie. Iron Man is possibly slightly better in my opinion, but the Hulk is a close second. It is much more thoughout than the first, and the Hulk is more than just a big green dude how throws tanks around. He still says "HULK SMASH!" though It is definitely worth going to see if you are a fan of comic book movies, and certainly if you enjoyed/went to see Iron Man. Also, if anyone saw the secret ending from the Iron Man movie, then they are in for a treat at the end of The Incredible Hulk. However, The Incredible Hulk doesn't have a secret clip at the end like most others - trust me, I stayed right passed the credits.

2. Crisis Core - Actually turned up on release. It was delivered from Play.com, so I was a bit dubious about its delivery date. They had failed to get me two previous preorders delivered on release date, so I thought Crisis Core would be the same. They proved me very wrong, so I'm very happy. Was a bit gutted that my PSP was out of battery though, so I had to wait to charge it before I could update and play it. For a PSP game, the graphics are solid - not quite God of War, but I guess they needed room for all those swish cutsceens, of which there are many. Final Fantasy fans might be a bit disappointed by the more action based combat and the DMW limit/leveling up system, but after getting to grips with it (which doesn't take too long) the game is very fluid and very fun. It's going to be really great seeing where they go with it, but I already know how it will end, as will everyone else who has played FFVII.

3. Alone in the Dark - It looked great in all the reviews, the graphics are lush, the storyline intriguing and the combat awesome. The Limited Edition boxed set for Europe was just a bonus. Now I've played into the first Episode of Chapter one, which is mostly just running through a falling down building getting used to controls and climbing ropes etc. The movement revloves around the Left Stick (I've the 360 version), in the same way as Resident Evil 4 did. Other buttons do actions such as switch between 3rd Person and 1st, jump, run etc. It was very fun, although initial puzzles were simple (put fire out, use extinguisher to bash open door, etc.). Various objects can be picked up and wielded using the right stick. Pull it back to either swing or ram your target, and puch forward to hit it. Shooting is all done in 1st person. Combat is made a bit simpler by an auto aim, but this area of the game is when you're going to see the controls really fail, as many have mentioned on the forums. If you run out of ammo (and believe me you will that first time) then you are forced to rely upon whatever you can find. Bashing the enemies in the face involved the same pullback-push forward on the right stick - which sometimes you won't pull off just right in a tense combat situation. To make matters worse, hits from the enemy will knock whatever your holding right out of your hands, forcing you to run off to find something else. Needless to say I got owned Also, the enemies can only be put down for good by fire - you can seemingly kill them, but they'll be up for more very soon. Therefore, you've to lug there fat-a** carcass to a fire, or hit them in the face with something burning.

While it is quite satisfying to see Edward Carnby bash a possessed person in the face with a computer monitor, the combat is going to frustrate alot of people. However, I think that perseverance and a good load of learning the control system, will make this game pretty enjoyable. Oh, and the voice acting isn't quite as bad as people make out (though some bit characters are voiced particularly poorly).

All in all a good haul. I might post some pictures of what's in the Limited boxes so people can see and go "Ooooo..." if they so wish. Sorry to my US friends who won't be getting either of these sets though....

*EDIT* So here are some pictures of the boxed sets:

The Crisis Core box

What's in the card sleeve...?

Some of the art work in the hardback artbook (sorry for the flash glare).

More art...

The Alone in the Dark box.

Opening the box up...

First views of what's inside. Excitement builds!

All of the gubbins that you get. Some really sweet stuff here

There will be some people out there who have read the title to this blog, and will know which game I'm about to discuss. For everyone else, the game is Lost Odyssey.

Having completed Eternal Sonata (overall a great RPG, with well developed characters and an intriguing plot) and being n all round massive RPG fan, I decided to go in search of something else to whet my appitite for such games. I had heard good things about Lost Odyssey from friends, and the fact that it spanned 4 discs and was going to beepic a la Final Fantasy, I decided to search it out. Here the internet became my best friend once again and I manage to pick it up for £19.49 off Powerplay Direct. It arrived on Wednesday, so I got stuck straight into it.

I was initially impressed by the beginning of the game - an epic battle which is quickly cut short under disasterous circumstances - and the introduction of the main character Kaim. However, once I got back to the city of Uhra, things quickly became bogged down in generally long cut scenes with people talking a lot about "Grand Staff" (usually said in a deepened voice and overtly overemphasised way!). Obviously this thing plays a major part in something - but it was almost unbearable to hear the same character repeat its name several times in the same sentence.

But once I got passed this and off on my travels, things quickly improved. And as I near the end of disc one, having expended around 9 hours of gameplay on it, I have come across one of the most moving scenes I have ever experienced in an RPG. So whilst the outset was a it confusing, with a lot of rambling on about one particular plot device, the rest of the game is pretty solid. It does suffer from some hefty load times, but these are shorter than mnay other games I've played (particularly Oblivion), and it can have some annoying graphical slow down - which you don't really want to see on a console game. And while it can almost be viewed as a Final Fantasy rip off in many ways, it is still a great game. I'll certainly be enjoying playing through the rest of it!

As for other things, I've not been playing much GTA4 recently - I am more of an RPG man, but I will probably be digging it back out again soon. And I'm looking forward to Crisis Core's release on June 20th. Here's hoping my preorder actually turns up on time *fingers crossed*!

Well that's gone and done it! Isuccessfully managed to get GameSpot up in arms, creating controversy and leaving mayhem in my wake. They should give me the Firestarter emblem for it. *sigh*

All said and done though, I had an inkling that the topic I chose to discuss in my last editorial was one that would get people ranting, raving, and in some case foaming that the mouth. It was good to read peoples' opinions on the subject matter and see what the fallout of it all was going to be. Most seem not to consider the current changing climate to be driven in anyway by mankind, which is fair enough. There are few pointers that make this a certainty, but plenty to suggest otherwise. The debate is still a hot topic, and I tried not to get my fingers too burnt. Many apologies to anyone who may have been modded as a result of the post, though I doubt there were any really. I liked that people also couldn't decide where to place me - was Ifascist, liberal, hippy, or a combination of all three (though how you get a fascist liberal is beyond me, and how the policies relate to both left and right wing parties...well lets not go there!).

Anyway, on another note, almost related, I'm quite excited by Fallout 3, which looks to be coming to the 360. I'm a big fan of Bethesda, so it should prove to be epic, and it will be nice to play a slightly more futuristic RPG compared to what I'm usually used too. Though I'm wary of the open endedness of these games - I tend to play, get sidetracked, play something else, and then have no idea what I'm meant to be doing when I come back to the game! I still haven't completed Morrowind because of this factor. I'm also having trouble at the first Oblivion gate in Oblivion too - damn those Daedra, shooting fireballs and breaking my weapons.

On a lighter point, I've reviewed Eternal Sonata. Big thumbs up in my book, I'm absolutely loving it. This may be due to my love of JRPGs and anime, but it has a certain charm to it that just makes it one of a kind. Up there with some of the Final Fantasy games, definitely.

Deny it as much as you like, Global Warming has become a fact of life. From the worries created by the hole in the Ozone layer, which led to the phasing out of products containing chloroflourocarbons, to the changing weather conditions we are currently experiencing, what we have to accept is that the changing climate is going to have an affect on future generations, if not our own.

The warming effect, as many will know, is cause by the build up of Greenhouse gases, which include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane and ozone. The levels of these gases are mainly affected by the continued burning of fossil fuels for the production of energy, which we then use. Of course the build up in these gases will have some negative effects on our environment and climate. The planet Venus shows exactly what an extreme overabundance of carbon dioxide would have, and while effects like these are very unlikely in the Earth's case, we can expect to see some of the following:

1. Extreme weather
2. Increased evaporation
3. Climate destabilization
4. Glacial retreat
5. Ocean acidification
6. Sea and temperature rise
7. Shutdown of the thermohaline circulation

This last point is possibly of the greatest significance. Warming of the climate and the melting of the polar ice caps will result in large volumes of cold water being shed into the sea. This influx has the potential to close off the North Atlantic Drift waters than carry warm sea waters into the Northern Hemisphere. If this were to happen then we could potentially see a rapid environmental cooling event take place - meaning extended and more extreme winters, and warm dry summers. A worst case senario would be an ocean anoxic event - essential a massive cooling event similar to those seen in the last Ice Age, which caused the last major extinction event. This would be devestating to civilisation, but we must bear in mind that our ancient ancestors survived the last Ice Age, so all hope is not lost.

The problem is that once the process is started, it is difficult to stop, and is not helped by positive feedback effects - such as methane released into the atmosphere by rapidly thawing permafrost in peatbogs, or the emissions from forest fires caused by the increased summer temperatures. You just have to turn on your TV these days and you will see the results.

So, how does this affect you, the gamer, and what can be done? The answer to the first part is simple - this will affect everyone in some way or another, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow. But the effects will touch us all.

The second part is more diffcult to answer. The possible problem lies in our consumerism - the idea that the purchasing of matrial goods and comsuption is equated with happiness. While this idea is usually associated with Western society, it is commonly understood that it applies to all regions of the world. It has affected our reasons behind attending University and College - we often go now to better our chances of obtaining a siginificant wage, rather than to become an expert in a certain field - as well as the target market for many companies - who now focus on the more wealthy, "upper class".

As gamers, we are also a part of this ideal. We buy games and play then to achieve a sense of value, sometimes worth, and also gain happiness through those achievements. But at the same time, we require power, through the form of electricity, to fuel our consoles. Aha! The point begins to become clear. I am no better than most here, having two consoles and two hand-held systems. A reasonable amount of electricity is required to power, charge and play them. However, do not rush off to denounce my paper at once as hypocritical tripe, as my thoughts on this subject have led me to think of some small ways in which gamers may help out.

Therefore, while we are also playing our part, however large or small, in Global Warming and its effects, there are a few things us gamers might be able to do to help, which we can add to the electric cars, reduced emissions and alternative fuels that the big developers/governments have begun to churn out. Feel free to use, ignore, or have a massive rant back at me about these. Or, even add you own ideas to this list:

1. Turn off your console - don't leave it on stand-by all the time, as it still uses electricity. The same goes for your TV, PC etc.
2. Don't leave your handheld/controller charging for longer than necessary. Not only is it wasting electricity, but the continued charge will kill your battery life.
3. Don't leave games paused for long periods of time - if you can then save and come back to the game later.
4. Don't have multiple things running at the same time if you can help it - it might be tempting to attempt to play Wii Sports, Mass Effect and write a blog all at the same time, but in reality it is impossible (though I am open to video evidence to prove me wrong!).
5. Get some sleep - gaming till 4am when you have to start work at 9am is not only bad for your health, it is harmful to the environment too!

There are probably many more little things we can do to help out. But isn't it interesting to think about what possible consequences our gaming habits may have?

Well at least it wasn't another blog about video game violence....