The Once in a Generation Gaming Question

As Winter approaches a difficult decision will have to be made.... no, not about lockdown and a Covid Christmas (although that's very important too of course) but as regards the purchase of either the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X (pending availability of course).

Decisions, decisions!

Decisions, decisions!

I'm not sure what I'm going to go for as neither Sony nor Microsoft have shown me any launch titles that have convinced me I need to buy the system on the day it drops. To be honest only Nintendo usually have something as a Day 1 release that make it a system seller which usually makes make me an early Nintendo adopter.

Don't get me wrong, I'm no Nintendo fan boy ( even though I always buy a Nintendo system for its exclusives) as I do also always buy either a Sony or Microsoft system too to ensure I have access to a wider variety and quantity of games, but this time the choice is a little more complex.

I have a PS4 currently as I like the exclusives and the focus on games rather than what Microsoft was pushing this generation initially , which was an all-round media machine with a Kinect focus. This is despite me being a huge Xbox 360 fan in the previous generation as its push on Live Arcade swayed me, alongside an ecosystem that was well integrated with indie titles and online marketplace.

The new consoles coming out seem to offer a bit of a starker choice this time round; 'more Sony exclusive' vs 'Tonnes of games with Game Pass'. It seems like a no-brainer that Xbox seems like the better option, and for many it probably is, but as an aging gamer with limited time I value the amount of time I have available for my hobby. I'd rather spend time playing the games I really wanted to rather than sifting through the sheer number of games that Microsoft will have available. Now some might say, 'Get the Xbox and play the games you want' but having Netflix I know that when there is too much choice I get paralysed and end up consuming not much at all as my mind starts to wander onto my 'pile of shame' watch list and I dip in and out, not committing to anything or racing through it without appreciating it fully. Imagine that with gaming? I'd always be worried about the next shiny thing. Although with the acquisition of ZeniMax and potential exclusives of titles like Elder Scrolls, Doom, Wolfenstein and Fallout is a huge boon for Microsoft, I’m still not sure that they’ll be system exclusives, maybe being timed exclusives or being released multi-platform, so I’m not too concerned about this.

So it's not you Microsoft, it me. At least that's how I feel at the moment but you never know, Sony might bugger it all up like they did with the PS3 and I might go cap in hand back to Xbox. One things for sure, in these unusual times things are as unpredictable as ever and that applies to the gaming space too. However, one certainty is that Nintendo will remain my one gaming constant.

Now to continue working through my pile of shame before the next gen drops.

LINK- My One True Gaming Constant- Nintendo

LINK- Pure Invention: How Japan's Pop Culture Conquered the World- Book Review

LINK- Japan: My Journey to the East

LINK: Preserving the Spirit of Media Past

LINK- Why I Collect

God of War- Video Games As Art

God of War is a stunning game which puts you in the shoes of Kratos, an angry dad who has to take the ashes of his dead wife up a mountain in order to give her a good sendoff. But, he has to take his sullen teen son along for the ride and so we have a crazy ‘Plane, Trains and Automobiles’ style- romp through Norse mythology. Okay, so I’ve kinda tszujed it up but this is very much the ‘middle-aged angry dad looking after a kid’ trope but this is an amazing one. The story is compelling, the voice acting top notch and the graphics are stunning.

Check out my screenshots from the playthrough as this is one of the most gorgeous looking games I've ever played.

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy- Video Games As Art

The Uncharted series were the perfect blockbuster video games. Once I’d completed all 4 of the games (I haven’t played the portable one) it felt sad to be saying goodbye to Nathan Drake but also the right time for the series to be put to pasture to age gracefully. Uncharted 4 was epic but also felt overlong, especially during the looooong final act. However, having created a wonderful troupe of friends and enemies, the Uncharted franchise didn’t have to be shouldered by Drake anymore. The Lost Legacy builds on this premise by casting you as Chloe as you go on yet another treasure hunt. At about 12 hours completion time, this is more concise and I feel better paced than some of the bloated AAA games out there. Miss it at your peril. Just check out the gorgeous shots from my playthrough.

Uncharted 3: Video Games As Art

The words ‘cinematic’ and ‘epic’ are overused terms, often used to sell you on a game. By using these buzzwords the hope is that the hype will build and interest in the game will pique. Many games have claimed to be like the movies but few can claim to be as proficient in the art of building a gaming experience that mimics the thrills of a blockbuster summer action movie than Naughty Dog. With the Uncharted series it has perfected the video game blockbuster. I only got onto the Uncharted bandwagon in the PS4 generation as last generation I had the Xbox 360 and Wii U. However, I am making up for lost time and completed the first 3. Here’s to the 4th!

Until Dawn- Video Games As Art

The weather is brightening up, the sun is shining and there isn't a cloud in the sky... so what do I fancy playing? Yup, creepy teen horror inspired Until Dawn! I heard about Until Dawn a while back but just never got around to playing it upon release due to having a massive back catalogue of games (including Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Mario Odyssey) but with those games completed I felt like I needed a palette cleanser and this game fit the bill perfectly. Set over the course of one night you control various teenagers who go to a cabin in the mountains to commemorate a tragedy that befell their friends the year before, but something is them thar woods and it's up to you to save the crew from the horrors that lurk in the dark as well as uncover the truth about the area.

The game is great and over the course of 10 hours I was gripped, like cheesy horror trope-y gripped but gripped nonetheless. It's well worth your time if you fancy a mature Scooby Doo like escapade... with more blood!

PlayStation in Concert- Review

This evening I was lucky to be at a world premiere of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra performing the music of PlayStation games at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

I purchased the tickets a couple of months ago as I love the Royal Albert Hall for its acoustics and atmosphere, and the chance to hear some of my favourite video game soundtracks performed in such a space by arguably the foremost orchestra in the world, was too good an opportunity to pass up.

Me, chilling outside the Royal Albert Hall before the concert.

The day before the event I received an email notification to download a free app called EnCue, which provides information on the track being performed and details about the composer and the game. I was a bit reluctant as I thought it would take me out of the moment but I did download it, however on the night I didn't use it, preferring to let the music take me on a journey... and what a journey it was!

The ceiling of the Royal Albert Hall is a thing of beauty. The sound dampeners look like magic mushrooms!

The presenter for the performance was Jessica Curry, one of my favourite video game composers who, as well as soundtracking 'Dear Esther' and 'Everyone Has Gone to the Rapture,' hosts the Classic FM video game soundtrack show 'High Score.'

Her compering was short and brought context to the pieces, an amuse-bouche for the ears if you will. She encouraged audience participation via Tweets and read a few out between pieces after the interval. Her witty repartee and jokes at the expense of Hastings and Shropshire were hilarious and endeared her to an already enraptured and enthusiastic audience.

My rather blurry panorama of the Royal Albert Hall.

My rather blurry panorama of the Royal Albert Hall.

The music itself was exhilarating, to hear some of my favourite pieces performed by a full symphony orchestra with a sympathetic light display was magical. The pieces took me from the deepest depths of the oceans to vast desert vistas to the post apocalyptic near future where robotic dinosaurs ruled the world.

The music was played roughly chronologically from the ps1 era right through to the current PS4 and the tracks were:

CRASH BANDICOOT- Medley
WARHAWK- Theme
RESIDENT Evil- Medley
MEDIEVIL- End Titles
ARC THE LAD- Victorious Fanfare/ Main Theme
ICO- Castle in the Mist and You Were There
DARK CLOUD- Main Theme
flOw- The World of Flow
LITTLEBIGPLANET- The Gardens
ECHOCHROME- Prime #7
SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS- Suite
MOSS- Quiet As A Mouse... With A Sword
KILLZONE 2- Birth Of War
WONDERBOOK- Book of Spells
JOURNEY- Apotheosis
THE LAST OF US- The Last of Us
BLOODBORNE- The First Hunter
HORIZON ZERO DAWN- Years of Training and Aloy's Theme
EVERYBODY’S GONE TO THE RAPTURE- The Light We Cast
THE ORDER 1886- The Knight's Theme
BLOOD AND TRUTH- Ryan Marks
GOD OF WAR- Main Theme
THE LAST GUARDIAN- Overture: Lore
UNCHARTED- Medley

Some of the tracks, like 'The World of Flow' from 'Flow' and 'You Were There' from 'Ico,' were intensely emotional and touching whilst the 'Dark Cloud' theme and the 'Little Big Planet' track were playful in a big band kind of way, full of jazzy brass and swagger. There were definite highlights for me, the tracks from 'Ico,' 'Shadow of the Colossus' and 'The Last Guardian' were particular favourites as they are some of my most listened to soundtracks ever and also because the rose tinted nostalgia I get from recalling when I played those games at certain times in my life. The choral piece from 'Everyone Has Gone to the Rapture' was enthralling and deeply touching and the encore, an 'Uncharted' medley was a fitting way to end this celebration of PlayStation.

I thoroughly enjoyed the concert and hope that it is the start of something annual as it is a great way to bring a lot of people, who may not traditionally visit places like the Royal Albert Hall or attend classical music performances together for a magical, almost otherworldly experience. Also, events like this bring the music of video games to the forefront, challenging the misconception that video game music is all bleeps, bloops and chiptunes and that all games are inherently violent wastes of time. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra might be solving the problem of reaching new, younger audiences via video game soundtracks and I for one am glad. The beauty of the music shows that there is another side to video games; an artform. I only wish that Sony had got their act together and sorted out some merch as they would have made a killing and the fans would have gone away with a momento of a magical night.