He’s the writer of the blog Cookie In Africa. It’s a travel blog about his adventures in Africa, but doesn’t cover the tourist stuff. So if you want to hear about the lesser known or more dangerous parts of The Dark Continent then click the link above.

Today, though, he’s helping me out with a list of the rarest or most expensive games we’ve ever played. The following is a list of some pretty hard to find stuff that you may never have even heard of, but may want to check out on ebay before the prices rise even more.

Clock Tower: PS1

This guy was actually pretty scary in 1997.

While this one isn’t the rarest game in the world right now (You could probably get it for about 40 quid), it’s certainly getting there. Pretty soon you won’t be able to pick it up easily, due to the fact that it was published by ASCII and developed by Human Entertainment, both of which are no longer in existence. It follows the events of a Japanese game of the same name that was released a year earlier. Since it didn’t get a release outside Japan, Clock Tower 2 became the American and European Clock Tower.

The game itself is a Point-And-Click that switches between five main characters as they attempt to solve a series of gruesome murders in Norway, performed by the hideously deformed Scissorman (Pictured above). The narrative switches between these characters periodically as they all further their own investigation.

Back in the 90′s, it wasn’t easy for a Point-And-Click to manage action scenes, but Clock Tower managed to pull off some fairly heart pounding moments. Whenever Scissorman showed up, the only way to escape from him was often to hide. That meant putting yourself into a tight spot and hoping that he didn’t find you. If he did, though, you’d find yourself watching one of the games grisly murder scenes. They look tame now, but they were the goriest I’d seen back then.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Jet Set Radio (D-Direst LTD Edition): Dreamcast

It's RAD!!

While researching this one I came across forum after forum of people trying to track it down. It’s quite difficult to find and, while the regular addition can be bought for around a fiver, D-Direct Limited will probably run you about 90 Euro. And don’t even try bargain bins and charity shops. Anyone who has this isn’t going to give it away for nothing.

Jet Set Radio (Called Jet Grind Radio in the U.S.) was the game that pioneered the use of Cel-shading, a rendering technique used to make 3D rendered objects appear cartoon-ish. While it wasn’t the first game to do it, it certainly was the best and most popular at the time and paved the way for other big titles to use it in creative new ways.

The actual gameplay focused on Rollerblading and graffiti. The player has to skate around the city of Tokyo-To, broken up into three areas which represent day, dusk and night, tagging various locations with spray paint. In each area, tasks have to be performed while avoiding the attention of the police and rival gangs. Once the rival gangs are defeated they surrender the area and their belongings to you. There’s not much of a plot and no boss fights, but the challenges can be tricky at times (Like tagging passing trains and cops) and, for 2000, it had some nifty graphics and controls.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Suikoden 2: PS1

Once upon a time, all RPG's looked like this.

Right as I type this  Suikoden 2 is valued at EUR 108.87 in an eBay auction. There are still twenty three days left on that if you want to get in on it, but you better have a stupid amount of spare cash lying around and much less sense to go with it. It’s one of those games that is only going to get rarer and rarer as anyone who has one is holding on to it, keeping supply low and demand high.

I’ve never managed to play this one. None of the game shops in my area ever seemed to have it and, when buying things online became a thing, Suikoden had already become kind of rare. I wanted it, but couldn’t afford it.

It’s an RPG title and, while the world was once awash in RPG titles, it stood out with some fairly striking differences. For one, there are over one hundred characters available for combat, but only a small few to advance the story. There were alo three different combat modes: Regular, Duels and Massive Battles.

They're more massive than they look.

The Regular battles are sort of a staple of RPG’s. They feature a six person party and a turn based fighting system with options for attack, magic, items, etc. The Duels then see you face off against an opponent, one on one, with only three attack options. It works in the same way as rock, paper, scissors with each attack trumping one of the others and losing to the third. That leaves the Massive Battles. Throughout the game over one hundred characters can be recruited. In the Massive Battles, a grid and unit based strategy game, those characters could come into play. Here’s a video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

It’s that kind of thing that allowed Suikoden to stand out. While many other RPG’s had turn or grid based battles, very few had both. Suikoden managed to have both and still flourish, rather than feel like too much spread too thin.

]]> http://boob.ie/2012/02/five-rare-games-that-you-can-buy-on-ebay/feed/ 0 http://boob.ie/2012/02/twistedmetalsyndicat/ http://boob.ie/2012/02/twistedmetalsyndicat/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:30:35 +0000 Helmut http://boob.ie/?p=44372 So after waiting seventeen days (three hours, realistically) for the Twisted Metal Beta to download and install, I booted that son of a bitch up and now, here are my thoughts on what happened next…

Yes, we've been over this; he looks terribly menacing indeed.

When I loaded it up and selected One-Player Training, I noticed the the graphics are a ‘Meh, but they’ll do’. They’ve never been amazing in Twisted Metal games and it’s never stopped me loving them. The maps look detailed and are typical of the previous games in terms of design; very open, with lots of bridges and hills. This time, however, we have destructible buildings and scenery. Does that make Twisted Metal better? Fuck, yes. It really does.

Who doesn’t like shit smashing everywhere? Dopes, that’s who. Yes, the destructible environments add a lot of extra adrenaline to the car chases/fights. You’ll certainly experience smashing into things, dealing with controls.

So the controls are quite hard to get used to. Not the handling, mind you, that’s a dream, but there are a gick-load of buttons to remember in this. Every button is used for something and with the speed on the game the way it is, initially you’ll be a ham-fisted idiot crashing into things and scrambling for the perfect weapon to use at a given moment, which IS fleeting and HAS passed by the time you get it right.

It looks exactly like you imagined it would.

This is one game that I would, (and this kills me to say) benefit from those nerdy voice control. “REVERSE HOMING ROCKET” instead of “Previous Weapon Button pressed three times and then Down on the D-PaaaaAH nevermind, he’s gone it’s too late”. My fingers will get used to the speed of the game soon enough.

So let’s talk about the online action. Imagine this: Massacring people in their scores online. Killing it on the leaderboards, and making a show of your friends. Playing Nuke Mode and capturing their leader, only to fire him from a rocket at their statue to win the game, while your entire team cheers your name, you fucking hero, you.

Well, imagine is what I had to do, as for the two hours I tried, I could NOT get onto a game. Annoying. Matchmaking Error every time. So, Twisted Metal; Good? I, eh… think so. I can’t review what I can’t play, so what do I do with the rest of my article?

Let’s give the Syndicate 4 Player Co-Op a go, shall we?

Now this I could get a game of online (thankfully, the demo’s online only, as the title suggests). It became apparent soon after selecting my load-out and starting the map, that this was an objective based squad shooter, bearing absolutely NO resemblance to the original Syndicate on the Amiga, even though the original was sort of an… objective based, squad shooter. That looked like this…

Yes, I think I can see what's happening here...

…and this new kid looks like this…

Aw. I can't shoot things that are presented this beautifully. Not for the first few seconds of dumbstruck awe, anyway.

There’s very little to say about the short demo in terms of gameplay. You reach objectives, shoot the guys in between. Some of you have already stopped reading, but there really is something special about this game. Ay least it seems that way from the Demo. And I think I’ve figured out what it is.

Other squad-based Co-Op games are ruined by what I call RUN-AHEADS. Those people who need to vacuum ALL the kills and reach ALL the objectives first, turning a shooting game into a racing one. And I don’t really like racing games. Now, this has these disgusting cockbags, dont get me wrong, but the enemies are places and released in such a way that you and your three team-mates are constantly in action with little sections of dudes, coming from behind and on balconies. It’s done well. Everyone gets their spoils. Good job, Starbreeze Studios (Chronicles of Riddick; Escape From Butcher Bay & The Darkness) people.

Problem: Everyone on your team's a selfish prick. Solution: Get better guns than them and never heal the bastards.

Starbreeze get GAME FEEL right; they really do. From the time I took my first steps on this game, to the time I got my first headshot, it all felt like putting on old comfy gloves. Moving, shooting, aiming, are all fucking delicious, there’s no other way to put it. The graphics are impressive too, with washed out colours and immersive weather effects. The sound is something you actually will notice, as it seems voices from the distance and team-mates gunshots in different metal rooms sound, just, fucking really good, right? If I wasn’t a Koka Noodle eating pauper, this game would push me to invest in a surround sound system.

Trust me, you’ll just have to play it. I have a little crush on it.

So there we have it. Logged on to get Twisted Metal and ended up spunking over Syndicate. Life’s like a box of chocolates. You never know which ones, given away as free samples, refuse to let you go online, and which ones turn out to be really good squad shooters.

Twisted Metal Beta is available now to all PSN users (although good luck getting a poxy game) on the Playstation 3 console and the Syndicate demo is available on PSN and Xbox Live.

Some games were already great movies...

You’re wrong. For the following reasons:

#1 – Games are (and always should be) about gameplay FIRST story SECOND

While games like Mass Effect 3, Bioshock and Red Dead Redemption have good writing and plotting, their primary purpose is that of interactive entertainment. This is the one thing that many people fail to get through their skulls: games and movies are both equally valid, non mutually-exclusive types of entertainment, that serve entirely different purposes.

Take Shadow of The Colossus, for example. That game has an incredible story and fantastic atmosphere, without actually using more than a few sentences of spoken dialogue. A heartbreaking portrait of the trials we must endure for the love of another person (or horse).  The Hollywood version would have Jake Gylenhall wisecracking while fighting atop a 80 foot tall CGI Grompus’ beard.

Even a better Hollywood adaptation like Silent Hill cant hold a candle to the game in terms of storytelling and tension. Some things are just best left alone, peeps.

#2 – Hollywood has fucked us on this one before

Ever seen Super Mario Brothers? Hitman? Doom? Anything made by Uwe Boll?

Click here to view the embedded video.

Case dismissed.

“Boosting”

You know who you are you pathetic, small-penised little weasels.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Using Headsets for Online Gaming

I’ve played the crap out of 2 Multiplayer games recently. Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, which is like eating a delicious Ice Cream Sundae, and Modern Warfare 3, which is like eating too much chinese food and feeling kind of sick. However much I enjoyed both the sublime stalking of Revelations and the twitchily addicitive Modern Warfare, both caused me to lose my faith in humanity at times.

No doubt some poetic discourse is underway...

For some reason, there are people out there who like trolling. For the uninitiated, trolling is winding people up over the internet – and is absolutely despicable except for around some of the time when it’s fucking hilarious (or rather, the reaction to it is). Trolls are no strangers to the gaming world where they will sing irritating, out-of-tune songs into their headset, call you every possible variation of sexual/ethnic/colloquial slur, and even start laughing manically when on a particularly good run. These people should be put on some sort of list that has men in black suits come to their house and sterilise them, and then immediately deliver a Muay Thai knee right to the delicate bridge of their respective noses.

But the worst… the WORST guys are the ones who do the creepy, mouth-breathy thing into the mic, or – jesus help me – the ones who have a radio playing faintly in the background with just enough volume that, by the time it reaches your end of the internet, it’s an dissonant mess of audio-artifacting that even Guantanamo Bay wouldn’t inflict on its guests. One of the people who recently made my hit list was a guy who played Assassin’s Creed with a kid on his lap, he didn’t say a word for the entire session but yet my ears were privvy to the gurgles and crying of his probably ugly child throughout the match. Yes, yes I know you can mute people – but when you find yourself doing it pre-emptively before every match, something’s gotta give.

Click here to view the embedded video.

(above) a very rare exception

Christ I hate headsets… If you aren’t playing co-ordination heavy team based games with friends, I really don’t see the point. Just in case you think you do, I’m here to hit you with some cold, hard truth: No one cares what you have to say. Which brings me neatly to…

Xbox vs Playstation arguments

We like opinions, they’re the stuff of interesting conversations. In fact, you may have noticed that this article is based entirely on opinion rather than, say, being grounded in hard hitting journalism, but hopefully I’m getting through to some of you out there. Those of you who disagree can always start a flame war in the comments below!

via The MetaPicture

Actually, that’s kinda my point… What the rest of the internet seems to think is that “opinion” is exchangeable with “fact” when undergoing the fruitless task of changing someone’s mind. Nothing makes my heart sink when some actual discourse immediately takes backseat to “Xbox rullllllz fags!” and “PS3 is the shit, yo, Imma play me the fuck outta Drake and you queers cnt ply lolz!!!!1!”.

Well ye can rest your minds about it, because the fact of the matter is that the majority of games of this generation have no discernible differences between Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, because said games are made by third parties, who naturally want to reach as wide an audience as possible, and thus must develop games to play equally well across both platforms. Bar the features of the consoles, such as Sony’s BluRay player, free online play and identity theft vs Microsoft’s clearly superior controller design, marginally better (but paid) online support and epic hardware faults, there ain’t a whole lot different about gaming itself apart from a few exclusive titles. Of course, one could always consider Kinect and Playstation Move, but until they are used for something genuinely exciting then they don’t qualify. The next generation is bound to bring some more radical hardware changes, and perhaps there will be a more marked difference in what experiences they can bring. Then the arguments, however retarded, may actually hold some weight.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Wii is a different story, as it was a case of revolutionary technology that was great for business, but a little bit short sighted in terms of longevity and hardware quality. The new Wii-U looks interesting though…

Whinging

Go on, CRY! Like Activision give a flying fuck.

I was expecting Modern Warfare 3 to be a heap of stinking wombat shit by what people have said and written about it, but it is a perfectly functional, well-designed game with the usual standard of popcorn campaign and twitchy multiplayer. We got exactly what we paid for – and those of you that felt that your dreams were not fully realised by the inevitably samey product have no-one to blame but yourselves for not being happy. AND I bet you’ll still buy the overpriced map pack, you sheep!

Gamers never learn, you see. Instead of rushing out to pick up our pre-order on the first day, maybe it’d be good to do a little research every once in a while. Instead of forking out €10-20 on a piece of DLC, maybe take a look at some of the smaller indie games available on PSN or XBLA, or try something new. All i’m saying is that if we don’t start learning to say “no” every once in a while, then we can get ready for the exact same Call of Duty and FIFA titles being released year after year. At premium. With little improvements.

This may seem incredibly rich coming from us here – and it is! We’re no strangers to calling bullshit when a game is flawed or a company does something to screw over gamers, but that’s kinda why we’re here. Our humble team write because we love games, and we endeavour to channel our several combined decades of videogaming and writing experience into something which can both entertain, stimulate and educate.

That’s not whinging folks, that’s called whinging from a homemade soap box.

Please let us know what you think gamers (or, indeed, journalists) should cease doing in the comments below.

The trailer shows off the voice cast of the game, which includes old favourites from previous games like Martin “Emilio’s My Favourite” Sheen and Keith “I didn’t take it out for air” David. We’re not so sure about the new additions to the cast, though, as the only new faces seem to be gaming journalist Jessica Chobot and Freddie Prinze Jr… Yes, that guy from the early 00′s you thought was in a boy band at some stage…

Yes... That's right folks. Wing Commander's unforgettable Freddie Prinze Jr

Well, if any developer can get a good performance out of the man (and in fairness, it doesn’t look all that bad), it’s Bioware. Of special note is that, between all the deer-in-the-headlights press release nonsense the actors are spouting in the video, that veteran voice actor Jennifer Hale (female Sheppard) says that this game’s writing is some of the best she’s ever don. While Jennifer has appeared in her fair share of Hideo Kojima games, we must admit this is pretty good endorsement, and definitely sticks out amongst the fast edits of marketable phrases from the other actors – so let’s hope she’s right!

Oh and Keith David’s shirt is fuckin’ sweet….

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you’re not like me then we can’t save you.  Or maybe we can, stick around.

Those of you paying attention to E3 last year will remember that along with the reboot of everyone’s favourite erm, tomb raider was revealed.  The new Wii U was also revealed, although the Wii received more press inches.  This is probably due to most of us thinking that given the shite we’d been subjected to under Lara’s name in recent years that it wouldn’t be anything to shout home about.

Well, given the trailer:

Click here to view the embedded video.

And some E3 gameplay:

Click here to view the embedded video.

it all looks pretty promising to me.

Instead of dropping you into a character that already knows what she can do and you have to catch up like the child who had scabies and didn’t make it to school on traversing day, Lara has to learn what she can do along with you.  I like that concept.

Thing is though if you planned on getting the new Wii U, you’ll left behind when Lara begins her story from the start as developers Crystal Dynamics won’t be porting the game over to the new Nintendo platform.

Studio community manager Meagan Marie writes:

“When we started developing the game we made a conscious decision that it was all about building the game for a platform and making sure the game was specific to that platform.  Given that we’ve been working on the game quite a while before Wii U was announced I think it would not be right to try and port it across. If we started building a game for the Wii U we would build it very differently and we would build it with unique functionality.” 

Ah well, we could have told you that the new Wii would be hellaghey, but now that you won’t be able to make Lara giggle in the HD glory she deserves, it just makes us even more right.  Don’t ever doubt us.

I won’t be getting a Wii U anyway, regardless of what games come out with it, I’m saving my next splurge on the Xbox 720, or the neXtBox, or whatever it’ll be called.  By the time that happens, we’ll all have hovering cars and Lara will do a strip tease with an unlockable achievement.  One that would turn Duke Nukem in to a snivelling wreck.

It makes toasties and gives blowjobs too...

• The new console will use BluRay technology, or something very similar, to pack as much as 50gb of data onto a disc. It will be interesting to see if Microsoft will cave to include BluRay tech, as Sony is one of the 19 companies which own/develop the technology

• There is a possibility that used games will not be able to be played on the new console (possibly through some sort of serial activation system á la PC games?)

• The system will introduce Kinect 2, which aims to bring Microsoft’s impressive but yet-to-be-applied-meaningfully Kinect further.

• The machine will be 6-8 times more powerful than the current Xbox.

• Launch date is being estimated as late 2013-2014.

This is all very speculative at this point, but you can be sure that we’ll keep you covered on details as they unfold. It’s been quite a while since consoles advanced a generation and, well, have a look at footage from GTA: Vice City or the original Halo compared to Batman: Arkham City or Uncharted 3. Could we be in for things like this being the standard of gameplay visuals?

Click here to view the embedded video.

Video via IGN
Pic by Jonah 365
Source: Kotaku.com

Well rejoice, oh ye sickly people, for now you get to hear us speculate on the upcoming Resident Evil 6 and, eventually, review it upon its release on 20th November 2012. The new trailer landed last week out of the blue and sets a great tone straightaway by being almost as long as the entire playtime of Resident Evil 5. Leon, the protagonist from Resi 2 and 4, makes his return, and seems to have ditched the effeminate schoolmate look for just looking exactly like Sawyer from Lost. Meathead Chris Redfield is also returning,  which means we have to (boo) expect some sort of co-op play, but perhaps we’ll get some decent playtime out of the adventure this time. It certainly would seem that way given how much Capcom have crammed into the trailer.

Call my hair girly again... I dares ya!

It looks developer Capcom is going balls to the wall for this one, but we’re hesitant after the first betrayal. For now, lets just admire the trailer for the gloriously composed bit of silly hype it is. Enjoy!

Click here to view the embedded video.

This game may be the only time we see this man lose...

*Pic via MMA Junkie

It’s very rare for such a meaty demo (albeit with a 1 round time limit) to hit our consoles, and it definitely gives a good taste for the combat to come – which features classic “pro” controls along with simplified options for beginners. Since our last report we’ve heard news about the improved career mode, which has ditched the thoroughly irritating stat decreases for a more streamlined approach. It’s shaping up to be quite the game when it launches on Xbox 360 and PS3 on Valentines Day – What better way to celebrate the day of commercialised love by engaging in brutal hand to hand combat with a loved one?

Check out the Career Mode trailer below to hear Rampage Jackson wax lyrical about his time in the UFC. That could be you come February 14th, only without all the, y’know, raining and hard work and money and stuff.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Ohhh… And the legendary Bas Rutten will be appearing as a commentator on the Pride matches.

Click here to view the embedded video.

You don’t have to go out and spend fifty quid on a AAA release only to find that you can finish it before dinner (I’m looking at you, Call Of Duty). Now you can just turn on your console and pay less than a tenner for a game that would have cost all of your birthday money when you were a kid and would have been leaps and bounds ahead of the technology curve of the time.

I only wish I could go back in time to my eight year old, Commodore 64 playing self and show him a trailer for Splosion Man. The new memories being forced into my head would be worth it just to watch his (My) face light up when he (I) sees it, even if it does make him (Me. You get it) shit his pants and question his sanity.  So lets take a look now at the top 5 XBLA games out there at the moment.

Disclaimer: I know there are a lot of last gen games available on XBLA right now, but none of them will make this list. I’m sticking to games with an arcade feel to them, so don’t get upset when Resident Evil 4 doesn’t show up.

Shadow Complex

There's just something so...Communist about it, isn't there?

First off, you have to like Nolan North to like this one. He gives his trademark performance of spouting one liners to no one in particular as he stumbles around aimlessly slaughtering his enemies and getting shit done. Luckily for me, I love that stuff. I did grow up watching Die Hard, after all. But if that isn’t your cup of tea you’ll probably get annoyed by this one pretty quickly.

What makes this really worth a play, though, is its similarity to the Metroid series. Metroid 2: The Return Of Samus is right up there on my list of favorite games of all time and Shadow Complex has done a great job of reminding me of it.

My Gameboy went through thousands of batteries because of this.

What makes that all the more weird is that there hasn’t been a side scrolling, true to the original Metroid game since the Gameboy Advance and that’s just criminal.

But enough about Metroid. If I use the word any more it’s going to lose all meaning. Shadow Complex follows the adventures of blah blah blah. It really doesn’t matter. All that matters is that it’s a side scrolling action shooter with elements of stealth and a heavy emphasis on exploration, weapon and ability upgrades and kicking scientists like you were a Spartan.

That is, while giving zero shits.

If you thought there was going to be a “THIS. IS. SPARTAAAA!!!!” joke then shame on you. I’m very disappointed. But you know what isn’t disappointing? Shadow Complex. If you don’t play this through at least twice then you’ve made a terrible purchase and this game obviously wasn’t for you in the first place. For the rest of you; Enjoy.

Trials HD

Don't let the Douchey picture fool you. This game is a great laugh.

Ever been drunk? Ever had a friend? Or two friends? Then this is the game for you. With it’s tricky handling and difficult stages it offers plenty of challenges while the horrible, gruesome deaths the bikes poor rider is subjected to will keep you laughing while you play. For example, you can blow him up.

He's in there somewhere.

 Set him on fire.

He'll be fine as long as he doesn't slow down.

Or just smack him into walls, spikes and all manner of other horribly final objects.

Which was surprisingly hard to find a picture of, so here's this.

It’s a great game to throw on if you have a few people over, especially if you have a few beers. The steep difficulty curve means plenty of challenge and, by the time you get past the harder stages you’ll be good enough to go back and try for the gold medal in the easier ones. For the gamers out there who absolutely must finish every last part of the game, Trials HD is perfect. New stages are added periodically and the UGC is surprisingly good. It’s almost like the game that keeps on giving.

One reason why I haven’t had any nightmares of my Atari deprived childhood in say a year, is because I have an iPad and I foooking love it! But once in a while it’s nice to bring back memories of playing Atari at me mates houses while my Shitari lay broken in the corner of my bedroom.

The Atari Duo-Powered Joystick for the iPad is a great way to relive those old bitter, jealous filled days.

This joystick is a little different from the old school console system, but the ball on top and the four buttons are all helpful when playing a game.

How much fun would it be to take a break from Bulletstorm or Saints Row to play Asteroids, Centipede and Missile Command?! Classic games have made a strong comeback thanks to handheld devices like the iPad. Of course, playing old arcade games on a touch screen just isn’t the same as it was with a joystick. The Atari Arcade Duo Powered Joystick turns your iPad into a mini arcade machine, and now you don’t have to nick money from your ma’s purse to play.

Simply connect your iPad to the Atari Arcade, download Atari’s Greatest Hits app for Duo, and you’re ready to go! With its joystick and buttons, Atari Arcade Duo Powered is exactly the way arcade games were meant to be played.

Atari’s Greatest Hits app for Atari Arcade is designed for 1-2 players.

You can buy one from Amazon or Apple for about €50.